


Hands Full

by FlairForTheVeil



Series: Hands Full [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Sex, Bratty Sasuke, Family Feels, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kurama is a stupid cat and I make bad puns about it, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance, and Naruto's parents own a cute restaurant, ft. balcony scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-02-19 12:12:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2387873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlairForTheVeil/pseuds/FlairForTheVeil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke, for the life of him, couldn't understand why Naruto wouldn't leave him alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

Sasuke stared down at the leather of his uniform loafers, gently tugging at the edge of his tie. He was sitting in the office of his new school, having just transferred from the other side of the country. It was an unbelievably awkward time to transfer - at the end of November, when midterms were right around the corner and teachers were most likely piling homework on top of their students. But his father’s job left nothing to be questioned and they quickly packed their belongings to be shipped to their new home in the District of Columbia. 

 

Next to him, his mother sat quietly as she read through a few of his documents for registration. On Sasuke’s other side, his older brother was flipping through a fashion magazine that a student had probably left behind. Itachi hummed as he scanned his eyes over an article on one of the pages.

 

The woman at the front desk called his mother’s name and she rose to discuss even more about his paperwork. The credits he’d received last year and begun this year were proving to be a little more than complicated to negotiate at this school. Sasuke rubbed at his eyes. They’d only flown from California about three days ago, and he’d resorted to sleeping on a dusty futon since their furniture’s shipping had been delayed. As a result of that, the only clothes he had at the moment were his uniforms and two casual outfits. 

 

“I think this is a good school for you,” Itachi said softly, tossing the magazine aside and leaning back into his chair. “It seems challenging. You look very professional in that uniform.” 

 

Sasuke grunted in response. It was only because the navy slacks and button-down shirt had already been pressed when he’d bought them. Fortunately, he hadn’t managed to spill anything on the blazer that had the school’s crest proudly displayed on the pocket—yet. He’d give it about two weeks tops before it became perpetually wrinkled. To him, it felt a bit too formal. 

 

Itachi flicked him on the temple. “Are you listening?” 

  
“Yes. I’m just _yearning_ to learn.”

 

Mikoto returned with the woman from the front desk just then, offering her youngest son a warm smile. “You have about fifteen minutes before school starts, Sasuke. Why don’t you go get settled in?”

 

“I asked your homeroom teacher to send someone down so they could show you the way,” the dark-haired woman smiled politely. _Shizune,_ her name tag read, and Sasuke thought she looked nice enough. “Mr. Hatake’s phone has been out of order for the past few weeks, so please bare with us.”

 

He and his brother stood, and he smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. Itachi raised a hand to ruffle his hair, messing it up and leaving a few pieces sticking straight up into the air. After a moment of irked silence from him and a small, affectionate smile from his brother, Itachi leant away. “Much better,” he said quietly. 

 

Mikoto patted his cheek and pulled him down into a tight hug. He could feel Itachi’s hand grip his shoulder lightly. She ran a few calming circles on his back, parting from him with a couple of light pats. “Good luck,” she said, giving him an affectionate look. She fixed the few wayward hairs on his head. “Will you please try to make some friends?”

 

Sasuke frowned as Itachi chuckled. “It’s only my first day.”

 

“It wouldn’t hurt to have someone to talk to every once in a while, would it?” 

 

“No,” he was forced to agree. “But not anytime soon. The SAT-“

 

“It’s in two weeks, I know,” Mikoto replied, a bit of sadness leaking into her voice. “It’s only Monday. Try to find someone to walk with to your classes, okay?”

 

“Okay,” he mumbled, letting her fuss over him for just a few moments more.

 

“If you _really_ don’t like it,” Mikoto tilted her head to the side and stepped away from him. “As in you can’t see yourself making any substantial progress, we can find a tutor to homeschool you-“

 

“Why is it that you favorite him?” Itachi interrupted, glancing down at their mother. He looked a bit more displeased with the matter than Sasuke ever thought he would. “You never offered for me to stay home.”

 

“Itachi,” she scolded, sending him a look that shut his older brother up within a few seconds. Itachi had always been the most social of either of them. Sasuke’s mother pitied him because he always preferred to do everything by himself, always without a partner in crime. To be fair, Itachi’s group of friends were very _questionable_ , and he thought his solitude balanced that factor out.

 

The door to the front office chimed and a boy about his age stepped in, looking nothing less than devastated to be present that day. He lazily glanced around the office until he rested his eyes on Sasuke and rather rudely motioned for him to follow. 

 

“Have a good day,” Itachi wished as he shrugged his backpack on. “Be nice, Sasuke.” 

 

“Bye,” he said, escaping the corner that his mother had backed him into. Once the boy saw that he’d moved away from his family, he left the office again, expecting him to follow. 

 

Already irritated, Sasuke planned to ditch the other boy and get to his homeroom by himself. His schedule said that it was only on the second floor. The plan was feasible until the other bumped shoulders with him and his wet hair dripped onto Sasuke’s shirt. 

 

“Suigetsu,” the other introduced himself, taking his time navigating throughout the hallway. Sasuke could already feel a few curious stares from the students just arriving.

 

“Sasuke.”

 

Suigetsu grunted in acknowledgement and Sasuke was thankful for his disinterest. Glancing around, he took in the marble floor and high ceilings, the wooden plates placed here and there to point to different rooms. Student council elections were apparently running, bright signs with cheesy puns hanging from a main bulletin by the office.

 

“Kakashi’s pretty cool,” he said. They took a small flight of stairs into another hallway that had much more students. There was the classic and irritating sound of a few banging their lockers and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few heads turn as they passed the corridor. “Our homeroom teacher. Like, he doesn’t get here until an hour after school starts.” 

 

“That’s unprofessional,” Sasuke said dryly. 

 

“It’s cool.”

 

They took another turn into a smaller hallway that had a group of students chatting at the end. Suigetsu turned and entered a small room that was in multiple levels of pure chaos, the student’s advisor missing just as he’d said.

 

“That’s my friend Jugo,” Suigetsu threw a nod to the large boy sitting in the corner of the classroom. A considerably smaller figure sat next to him, and Suigetsu threw her the bird. “See that bitch? That’s Karin. Don’t even bother with her.”

 

“I can _hear_ you,” she called, looking up from her cell phone to glare at Suigetsu. Once they neared the pair, she turned and smiled at him. “Who’s this?”

 

“He says he’s Sasuke,” Suigetsu stood just a few feet in front of them and Sasuke wasn’t completely sure why he followed. 

 

“Hi,” she pushed her glasses higher up on her nose. “I think I heard something about a new student last week. Why are you here so late?”

 

“I moved,” he said simply.

 

A bit of an awkward silence went on for a few moments as the other teens waited for him to elaborate. Sasuke stood calmly and pushed his hands into his pockets, glancing at the girl napping on the floor with a pillow and a blanket.

 

“What’s your schedule like?” she asked, making a wide gesture. “Maybe we can help you out.”

 

Sasuke sat down next to Suigetsu and pulled his schedule from his binder. He handed it to Karin so that she could share it with the other two. 

 

“Wow,” Jugo said after a few moments. “You’re in a lot of senior classes.”

 

“Smartass,” Suigetsu put in, punching him on the shoulder. “The hell are you sitting with us for?”

 

Karin sniffed haughtily and waved someone out of Sasuke’s view over. “My friend is in a few of your classes,” she said. “You can-“

 

“Are you new?” A voice spoke, right above him. He glanced up at a girl with a pinkish tint to her hair, and to the view of the group of girls she’d parted with all staring at him.

 

“Yeah,” Suigetsu replied for him. “But nobody knows where he came from. Rude.”

 

She clucked her tongue and sat on the floor with them, crossing her legs and offering him a friendly smile. “I’m Sakura Haruno, advisory rep.” 

 

“Nice advisory,” Karin mocked and rolled her eyes. “We don’t even have a teacher.” 

 

“I’m sorry,” she winced. “Ka… _Hatake_ should have been here a really long time ago. It’s not usually like this, I promise-“ she was cut off when someone loudly knocked their chair over and a burst of laughter filled the classroom. 

 

“Um,” she began again, a light flush running over her cheeks as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. He’s the world history and psychology teacher here. Really laid back.” 

 

Karin interrupted her again. “Look at the classes he has!” At some point in time, Karin had snatched his schedule away again and he hadn’t even noticed. But if he were to be honest, he could already feel the turn of the heads in the room and the growing whispers in that corner. 

 

“You’re in pre-cal too?” Sakura noted. “And we’re in the same chemistry class, too. Did you have a lot of credits at your old school?”

 

“Nice try,” Suigetsu snickered. “He talks as much as a rock.”

 

“Yes,” he replied, ignoring the other boy. “I doubled up on maths last year.”

 

Sakura smiled again, absently nodding as she outrightly stared at him. Sasuke tugged at his tie uncomfortably and took a sudden interest in his schedule. 

 

“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled. “I’ll walk us to math. There’s only one other junior in that class, Neji. Now we can have a bigger study group.” 

 

Sasuke nodded and the classroom’s ruckus quieted down for a few moments as an adult stuck their head in. He glanced around the room and stepped in a bit, looking for someone who didn’t seem to be there. The room was now in complete silence as the man licked his pale lips and left again, his long hair sliding over the doorknob. 

 

“Oh God,” Karin said. “That was Orochimaru. Steer _clear_ if you like your life the way it is.” 

 

He grimaced as a short summary of the teachers that taught their grade level was given to him. Sasuke wasn’t exactly sure what group of people he had fallen into, but they didn’t seem blatantly horrible Shortly after that, announcements came on, and they were dismissed to their first period without a trace of their advisory teacher.

 

As promised, Sakura escorted him to the classes that they shared, which was every single one except for English. The Neji boy he was introduced to was tolerable. He was polite and distantly familiar, but perhaps it was the long hair that reminded him of his brother. 

 

Sasuke dealt with quite literally the whole class turning to gawk at him when he walked into the classroom. Not only did he have to deal with the other kids in his grade wondering where he had come from, but he’d received a few glares from seniors when he walked into their class, as if it were his fault he’d tested out of eleventh grade classes. He felt extraordinarily out of place in his English class, which had passed by at an excruciatingly slow pace with most of the students in the class staring into space or out the window. Sasuke got the vague (obvious) impression that he’d been put with students that barely knew how to spell their own name. 

 

It was the end of the day and he had a free period. Sasuke sat in the library, working on his economics homework with his earbuds in, having long grown tired of overhearing questions of who he was all around him. It had been a… _taxing_ day. Of course homework had been thrown at him left and right, and he already had two chemistry labs to finish since he hadn’t even been in the state when they were begun. Suigetsu, despite all of his name-calling and harassment towards Karin, had dragged him to sit with her and eventually their small group had grown into an overwhelming amount of curious people. Sasuke was exhausted just from hearing them all talk to— _at_ —each other. For such a prestigious high school, there was some questionable factors in his favor, such as the homeroom teacher he’d yet to even see and the apparent rumors of a threesome happening between their teachers. 

 

For him, the lunch was all too informative and he overheard many, many things that he wished he hadn’t. The boys here were incredibly immature as the only thing they had talked about for their hour-long lunch was about a certain senior that had caught their eyes—more specifically, her chest.

 

Sasuke heard the librarian loudly shush a pair of chatting boys off to his right and turned the volume of his music up a bit louder. His peers were too exuberant and a lot of them didn’t seem to care much about their classes. 

 

He scooted his chair in as he felt someone pass behind him. Someone grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him, making his earbuds fall out and land in his lap. They had said something _loud_ and he turned in his chair, slightly startled. 

 

Another boy was looking at him like he’d murdered someone right in front of his eyes, and Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath at the proximity of their faces. Another boy with a more bored look on his face stood directly behind him. The other gave him an expecting look, and, unsure of what else to do, he blinked. “What?” 

 

The blond boy backed away from him and stared again, looking as if he wanted to say something. The boy with dark hair behind him mumbled something into his ear and shoved him a bit. Sasuke dropped his pen on his paper and sent the other a confused and annoyed look. 

 

“Oh, sorry!” he said loudly. His blue eyes were wide, though they narrowed a bit when the librarian hissed for him to quiet down. The boy pointed to him. “Do you speak _English_?” 

 

Sasuke frowned, the first pang of offense hitting him strongly. He was aware that he looked distantly Asian, but never enough for people to question his first language. “Excuse me?”

 

The boy behind him punched the blond one in the gut. He looked at Sasuke with wide eyes _again,_ and he glared right back into bright blue eyes. That had to be one of the most _racist_ comments that Sasuke had ever heard directed at himself, and damn if this kid wasn’t going to learn a lesson-

 

“Holy shit!” he whispered, shaking his hands out like he was clearing away smoke. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that-“ 

 

“Was that supposed to be funny?” Sasuke snapped, wishing he could push out his chair so that he could be face to face with the other boy, but he and his friend were blocking that from happening. “Because-“

 

“No, no!” he started to look a bit worried and he knelt so that the librarian would stop giving them both dirty looks. “I didn’t know you had headphones in, and my friend gave me the idea that you didn’t speak English. It wasn’t a joke, I swear!”

 

Sasuke gave the other a suspicious once-over, ignoring that dark-haired friend that strolled away from them. The blond pressed his lips together and used Sasuke’s knee to push himself off of the ground, inviting himself to sit next to him. 

 

“Sorry,” the other scratched the back of his head. “Can we start over?”

 

Sasuke, still a bit stunned from what had just happened so quickly, turned to study the boy sitting uncomfortably close to him. 

 

“I’m Naruto,” he offered, throwing his arm over the back of the chair. He glanced down at Sasuke’s homework and pointed at his pen. “I didn’t know you couldn’t hear me. I just asked if you were left handed.” 

 

Sasuke blinked and, again, wished that he could go home. He glanced at the other boy’s—Naruto’s—patient face, awaiting an answer from him. Then he glanced down at his hands as he caught a glimpse of the raw sincerity in the other’s eyes, _knowing_ that he was telling the truth. 

 

After a few more moments of silence, he looked up, frowning at Naruto. “What makes you think that?” 

 

Naruto’s face went blank and he motioned towards the papers on the table. “I… thought I saw you using your left?” 

 

Sasuke nodded. “I am.” 

 

His face went blank again and he stared at Sasuke. Then, he broke out into a small, mischievous grin. “Don’t be sarcastic.” 

 

He picked his pen back up and finished the last few words of an answer. “What exactly made you think it was okay to yell in my ear about it?” 

 

Naruto stared at his hand as it moved across his paper. “It’s just… cool. I’m right handed. There’s only, like, ten people in the whole school that are left handed. Does your right hand suck?” 

 

Sasuke shrugged. “I’d say it’s like your left hand.” 

 

“Can you try to write with your right hand?”

 

Naruto left no room for him to decline, though he hesitated for a moment before picking the pen up. He tried, he truly did, but as soon as he tried to write his own name with his right hand, the pen fell from his fingers. 

 

“That’s so weird,” Naruto said softly, picking it back up and writing something quickly with his dominant. He switched the pen to his left hand and struggled greatly to write the first few letters of the alphabet. “By the way, what’s your name?” 

 

He watched the way Naruto drummed the pen on his open textbook. “Sasuke.” 

 

“Oh,” he replied. “You look new. You’re a…?”

 

“Junior.”

 

“So am I!” Naruto said, perking up and giving him another amicable smile. “I thought you were older. What school d’you come from?”

 

Sasuke shook his head. “You wouldn’t know. I just moved from Anaheim.” 

 

“All the way over here?” his jaw dropped, as well as the pen from his fingers. “ _Wow._ Why? That must suck. You know, I just moved here from Missouri two years ago, ‘cause I have family up here.”

 

“It’s not horrible. My dad moved branches in the company he works for, so we moved over here.”

 

Naruto nodded. “How come I didn’t see you all day? What homeroom are you in?”

 

He rested his cheek in his hand, wondering why they couldn’t stay on one subject for too long. Naruto seemed a bit jittery to him. “I’m in a lot of senior classes, so that must be why. And I’m in… Kakashi’s?”

 

“Oh! You probably won’t meet him for a while. He’s always so damn late. I’m in Umino and even though he’s cool most of the time, he gives out a lot of demerits if you don’t listen to him.” Naruto pursed his lips and glanced out into the rest of the library. He reached forward to play with the string hanging from the desk lamp in front of them, wrapping it around his finger and then letting it dangle. “Let’s see… have you met Sakura? Short pink hair?”

 

“Yes,” Sasuke replied tensely. “I’ve… spent a lot of time with her today. Speaking of it, why is it like that? Do you not have rules about hair color?”

 

Naruto tilted his head in a curious manner. “She’s smart, she’ll treat ya nicely.” he rocked his chair back on its hind legs. “Over the summer, all of the girls had a fad with dying their hair. It was _bright_ pink back then, y’should’ve seen it. She did it with Kool-Aid or somethin’. But, it faded, so… it kinda looks blonde.”

 

“Ah.” Sasuke vaguely remembered the same trend just beginning to start at his own school. He watched Naruto slide his binder over, reading his schedule over.

 

“Damn. Are you gonna take a university class next year?”

 

Sasuke frowned. “I might. Or I’ll just take another free period.”

 

“Oh, that’s cool. Still a big work load. Do you have enough time for sports?” 

 

“It’s easy if you do your work as soon as you get it,” Sasuke said nonchalantly. “I was on the cross country and track team.”

 

“You like to run? I’m on the lacrosse team. You should join soccer with me!” 

 

“Actually, I don’t like contact sports,” Sasuke replied. 

 

The legs of Naruto’s chair slammed back onto the ground. “Baseball’s not really a contact sport. If you’re _fast_ enough.” 

 

“I don’t like it.” 

 

Naruto squinted his eyes at him. “Picky. You wanna start cleaning up? It’s almost time to go home.”

 

Sasuke tucked his loose leaf papers back into his textbook, raising an eyebrow at his companion. “If you’re not doing anything, why are you here?” 

 

“Well,” the other pointed on the opposite side of the library. “It’s not like I wasn’t doing _anything_ at all _._ You can get a study room whenever. I was with my friend Kiba, the one that was here earlier. Working on a business project.” 

 

“Were you,” he mumbled, stuffing his books back into his backpack. He watched as a few other students stood up and waited for the dismissal bell to ring. 

 

“Hey,” the other said again, poking his arm. “I’m really sorry about that whole ‘speak-English’ thing earlier,” Naruto made quotation marks with his fingers. “You really looked like you were gonna kill me.”

 

“It’s fine,” Sasuke nodded. “But I don’t think you should sneak up on people with headphones, period.” 

 

Naruto frowned as the dismissal bell rung. “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe I’ll see you around? At lunch tomorrow?” he asked as Sasuke stood. 

 

“Yeah,” Sasuke nodded. “I-“

 

“Who’d you sit with?” Naruto walked alongside him, his hands stuck into his pockets. He noticed that they were about the same height, give or take an inch. 

 

“Suigetsu?” It seemed like Naruto was trying to get as many answers out of him as possible. He wondered if he was in a rush to get somewhere…?

 

Although it was offensive and surprising at times, that had to be one of the most interesting experiences in Sasuke’s life. Naruto had to be one of the most interesting people he’d ever met - just based from the sincerity he’d seen in his eyes earlier. He’d heard that people up North tended to be a bit ruder, but someone like the boy he’d just met could balance it out.

 

He shook those thoughts from his head and headed downstairs, knowing he had to go back to the main office. He dreaded the mandatory parent-teacher conferences that had to be set up with new and transfer students. Only his mother was able to attend, since his father worked early hours and late nights. 

 

“Bye, Sasuke!” Naruto waved. “See you tomorrow!” he parted with Sasuke in the opposite way of the front office, heading towards the gym.

 

Sasuke watched him go with an odd look, and turned back around to see his brother already seated in the front office, this time reading through the thick novel he’d been stuck to for the past few days.

 

He frowned and pulled open the glass door to the office, walking over to his brother and tossing his backpack onto the floor. “Where’s mom?”

 

Itachi looked up from his novel and dog-eared the page, setting it into his lap. “Speaking with the principal. Who was that?”

  
Sasuke stared blankly at him for a few moments before seating himself. Ignoring his brother, he took out a book to read for his English class, turning the pages to where he’d last left off. 

 

“He looked very nice,” Itachi said pleasantly. “What’s his name?” 

 

Thinning his lips, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the spine of his book. “Naruto.”

 

“Mhm,” he hummed thoughtfully, resting his chin in his hand. Sasuke rather heard than saw Itachi pulling his ponytail over his shoulder. “So you did make a friend.”

 

“This is just a question,” Sasuke started, placing his thumb in his book so he wouldn’t lose his place. “But why are you here?” 

 

Itachi snatched the book from his hands and read the title. “Is there anything wrong with wanting to meet the people who’ll be teaching my little brother?” 

 

“Only if they think you’re my father.” 

 

He turned and gave Sasuke a dry look. “I hope you didn’t just learn that today.”

 

“Learn what today?” their mother approached, setting her hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. 

 

“It’s nothing,” Sasuke said quickly. 

 

Mikoto squeezed his shoulder once and let it go. “How was your day?” she asked, sitting down next to him. “Did you like all of your classes?” 

 

“It was fine,” he replied. “My English class may be too… slow.”

 

She frowned as if she remembered something before glancing at Itachi. “But it’s in your grade, right?”

 

“Yes… but this is something I learned last year,” he continued. “I read half of the assigned books already.” Sasuke noticed that his mother had leant forward slightly to narrow her eyes at Itachi. “What?”

 

Itachi cleared his throat. “There was no harm in a joke. I didn’t realize that the registrar wouldtake me seriously.” 

 

“What are you talking about?” he demanded.

  
“I may have let it slip that you weren’t very good with words at your registration,” Itachi said calmly. “But this can be fixed.”

 

Then Mikoto muffled her quiet laughter behind her hand, leaning away from the both of them. She gave Sasuke a small, apologetic smile as he glowered at her. It seemed that his father was the only one who didn’t get after him for not talking very much. 

 

“How did you expect them to know that it was a joke?”

 

Itachi chuckled. 

* * *

Sasuke and his mother walked exited a science hallway, having just finished a conference with his chemistry AP professor. Itachi trailed along behind them, silently observing the high ceilings and a few signs hanging off of the lockers.

  
About an hour and a half had passed since school ended, and the building was almost deserted. Everyone had already gone home, but a few were still waiting for their parents to pick them up. A while ago, Sasuke could hear some yells coming from the gym, but they had been gone by the time the fifth conference had ended. Sakura had mentioned that there were off season practices happening, and that it wouldn’t be a hassle at all to join in. 

 

They went back downstairs, where Sasuke vaguely recalled his history class being. A couple of members from the boy’s basketball team passed by. He glanced down at the white-grey tiled floor and turned a corner. 

 

A few boys and girls were leaving the gym, their practices just finishing. Sasuke walked a good distance away from them as they cleared from the hallway, loud laughter echoing from the gym. A few balls dribbling could still be heard, as well as the sharp whistle of a coach as he told them to knock it off. 

 

Sasuke paused when Naruto walked into the corridor, out of uniform. Instead he wore a pair of basketball shorts and a sweatshirt that had their school’s name on the front, dragging his duffel bag behind him. 

 

Not surprisingly, Sasuke _knew_ that Itachi sensed his slight change in demeanor and his brother quickly moved behind him, setting a hand on his shoulder. 

 

“Isn’t that your new _friend?”_ asked Itachi, loud enough for their mother to hear, but quietly enough to be out of Naruto’s earshot. 

 

“Stop,” he hissed, turning and roughly elbowing Itachi in the ribs; however, Itachi caught it with his palm and pushed him forward slightly. 

 

The slight movement was enough to catch Naruto’s attention, and when he looked up, he broke out into a wide grin. Sasuke thinned his lips into a straight line when Naruto approached them. 

 

“Hey, Sasuke!” he raised his arm to scratch the back of his head, offering Mikoto a bashful smile. 

 

“Who is this?” she asked politely, returning the smile with a smaller one.

 

Sasuke clenched one of his fists and stuffed it into his pocket. “Naruto…” he started. “This is my mother.”

 

“HI!” Naruto stuck his hand out and, quite vehemently, took his mother’s hand in his and shook it. She looked startled for a spilt second before smiling and placing her other hand over Naruto’s, giving him a look of appraisal. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki.”

 

“Naruto,” she repeated, laughing softly and releasing his hand. “How nice to meet you. I hear that you helped Sasuke out on his first day?” 

 

He pulled that sheepish look again, though his grin stayed as wide on his face as ever. “You could say that! We kinda had a rough meeting, but…” Naruto glanced over to him. “We smoothed it out.”

 

There was a lull in the conversation as Mikoto took a moment to be surprised and glance over at her youngest son. It wasn’t a look Sasuke recognized that meant he would be in trouble later - it was a sincerely _baffled_ one. He guessed that he had a tendency to ignore any person outside of his family that upset him just once—rather, he’d immediately move from the dramatics and continue on as if nothing had ever happened. 

 

Itachi seemed to take the advantage of the silence and held his hand out. “Hello,” he said. “I’m his older brother, Itachi.” 

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Naruto took the hand, shaking it firmly. He recognized the faintly intimidated look in Naruto’s eyes. It was all too common when others made acquaintances with his brother. But of course, they’d learn to see that Itachi had the temperament of a lazy cat. 

 

“Did Sasuke mention that we just moved from California?” Mikoto said. “Maybe you could show him around one day, Naruto.” 

 

“Yup, he did. I’m still not really sure where the kids our age hang out, ‘cause I just moved here two years ago, but…” Naruto scratched his chin. “I like to go to the Smithsonians and a couple of the malls around here every once in a while. My parents do, too.”

 

“That sounds wonderful,” she smiled again. “You two should look into it sometime. Sasuke, would you like to stay behind while I finish up the last meeting? Maybe you can speak with the cross country coach…” 

 

“Ah,” said Naruto. “All the offseason practices and everything just ended. But if you’re hungry, there’s a Panera right across the street?” he turned to Sasuke. “I go there all the time.” 

 

“Of course, you’re probably hungry,” she shook her head and gave Sasuke a slight push on the shoulder. “Go and eat. I’ll pick something else up for Itachi and your father.” 

 

“Why don’t I make dinner?” Itachi volunteered. “I’ll only be here once in a blue moon.”

 

“That’s really fine, Itachi,” Mikoto gave him a strained smile. “You shouldn’t push yourself.”

 

Sasuke snickered as the amused smirk on his brother’s face disappeared. 

* * *

It took a while for them to cross the busy street. Maybe, for a few moments, he’d dreaded leaving with Naruto. Maybe it was only because he didn’t have the option to say _no_ in front of his mother. But now, as the scent of fresh bread wafted down the street, he realized just how hungry he was. It was chilly out, windy enough for him to be thankful that he’d left his school blazer on. 

 

Naruto hadn’t been kidding when he’d said the Panera was right across the street - facing their school. Most of the restaurants lining the opposing side of the street had their fall decorations out, small bays of hay and artificial pumpkins that were constantly rolling away. 

 

Since it seemed to be a rush hour for the restaurant, they had ordered and struggled greatly to find a table for themselves. They’d had to resort to sitting outside where it was a bit louder than Sasuke would prefer, but it would have to do. 

 

Naruto crossed his legs in his chair so that Sasuke could see the tops of his knees. His bright blond hair kept smacking him in the face.

 

“So what’d you think of your first day?” Naruto asked him, playing with the plastic leaves decorating the sides of the table. 

 

“It was fine,” he replied. “I think I would appreciate it if everyone would stop staring at me like a fish out of water.”

 

The other shrugged. “That’s what they did to me. They’ll get used to you, I promise. Just takes a bit of time.” 

 

“Is it that you don’t get transfer students often?”

 

Naruto frowned. “I guess it’s like… everyone here is so _competitive_. With grades, I mean. That’s why it’s nationally recognized and expensive. There’s not really a lot of room to make friends when you’re head to head for a spot at your college of choice, you know?” 

 

Sasuke grunted. “What makes you think I’m not going to take up your spot at your college of choice?” 

 

Naruto gave him a mischievous smile. “I’m sure you’ll go to an Ivy League school or something. Not NYU like me.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Why-”

 

“Don’t look at me like it’s not a good school. It’s just that I want to be a pediatrician, and you know how rough it is in New York. I just wanna help out, I guess. I’m not a hotshot that just wants to go there cause it’s _New York._ ” Naruto made a wide gesture with his hands. “Yeah. They really do need a hand up there. But what about you? You come off as some future CEO or something.” 

 

“I do like law,” said. “And Princeton-“

 

“See!” Naruto leant across the table. “I _knew_ you were an Ivy type of guy. W-“   


“Stop interrupting me,” Sasuke snapped. “I didn’t even get to finish.”

 

“Sorry,” Naruto mumbled, though he didn’t sound like it at all. 

 

He pressed his lips together. “Like I was saying, Princeton or Brown appeal to me.”

 

“That’s gonna be a lot to pay off. But it’ll be easy to pay off once you’re a real lawyer, right?”

 

“I guess so,” he took a sip of his water. “What is it that makes you so sure of being a pediatrician?” 

 

“I like kids,” Naruto swished the punch in his cup in circles. “And I like helping people. I dunno where it came from, ‘cause my parents own a restaurant. But it’s just there, that want to help people.”

 

Sasuke hummed. He moved his cup out of the way as a waitress brought them their food and apologized for the apparent wait he hadn’t even noticed. 

 

“Is macaroni all you’re going to eat?” he asked Naruto. 

 

Naruto glanced up from his bowl and furrowed his brow. “Yeah. I could eat, like, a whole swimming pool of it.” 

 

He chuckled. Sasuke watched a couple with their hoods pulled over their heads run across the street. In the distance, he could hear a street performer strumming his guitar and singing softly. Naruto hummed his approval of his meal across from him. 

 

“About family,” Naruto started. “Your brother seemed pretty cool. I haven’t seen long hair on a guy in a really, really long time. And you look a lot like your mom!”

 

“Do I?” he asked, chewing on his food thoughtfully. “I would say that I look like my father.”

 

“It’s your mom, hands down,” Naruto smiled. “Wanna see my dad? Sometimes my mom gets us confused. 

 

Sasuke rested his cheek on his hand as Naruto pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly scrolled through his pictures, sliding it across the table towards Sasuke when he did. 

 

To say in the least, it was… scary. It was almost like there were two of Naruto staring back at him from the cracked screen of his cell phone. He could easily tell the difference between them - Naruto’s father, of course, looked a bit older and had longer hair, and appeared to be surprised at the surprise picture Naruto had taken with him. They both had golden blond hair and shockingly bright blue eyes. 

 

Sasuke blinked. “Why are you showing me this already? We just met a few hours ago.”

 

“So?” Naruto asked. “You’re not sketchy or anything. _And_ I already met your mom. You can’t back out of it now.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “If you think she’s fond of you, she’s just being nice.”

 

Naruto gasped dramatically. “Is that why she practically begged me to drag you out of there? If she didn’t like me, she wouldn’t trust me. For all she knows, there’s not a Panera across the street, and you’re in a ditch somewhere.”

 

“What would you do if I said I’d rather be in the ditch?”

 

“Hey!” A plastic fork came flying at him. “At least I’m being nice! I could have made fun of you and tripped you in the hall. Or push all your books down the stairs and nugget your backpack. But look where we are.” Naruto twiddled his fingers. “Southern hospitality.” 

 

Sasuke snickered at the imagery and folded the corners of his napkin, giving Naruto a suspicious look. “You must be in all regular classes if I don’t see you all day.”

 

“I’m in two AP,” Naruto told him. “But we’re probably in different sections or something.”

 

A pause in their conversation. Sasuke finished off his water and checked his phone for a text from his mother, but found none. He watched Naruto text someone for a few moments before glancing across the street to the entrance of their school, where the parking lot was mostly empty save for his brother’s car and a few others.

 

“Do you miss your friends? Leave a girl behind?” asked Naruto. 

 

He kept his eyes on their school’s billboard. Sasuke had a couple of people he would stick around during school, but they couldn’t be considered friends. Sure, they would hold a small conversation every once in a while, but they weren’t close at all. He mostly kept to himself and enjoyed (dreaded) the long breaks when his brother would return home from Yale’s business school.  


“Not really,” he said simply. 

 

A corner of Naruto’s lip went to the side, but he said nothing. “Well, there’s some cool people here…” he glanced to the sky. “My friend Shika’s in your homeroom, but he always gets there late. A lot of the girls are in there… Ino, Sakura, you know, the one we talked about earlier? Oh! And my cousin Karin’s in there.” Suddenly, the warm grin on his face he’d gotten from speaking of his friends turned into a solemn and blank stare. “She’s off limits.”

 

Sasuke sniffed. “Not interested.” 

 

“What!” Naruto blurted. “I mean, not even the rest of the-”

 

“I’m not interested in girls,” he said bluntly. 

 

After that, Sasuke paused and his fingers tightened around his cup. To him, it seemed like minutes rather than seconds had passed. He didn’t know what on Earth had possibly made him tell that fact to Naruto—because impulse, chance, and nerves had _nothing_ to do with it. Now he felt… too open, too exposed, and Sasuke almost felt as if Naruto was trying to pick him apart with his curious eyes. It wasn’t a subject that had gone outside of his bedroom walls when Itachi would very gradually poke it out of him.

 

“Geez…” Naruto sunk down onto the table, pressing his face into his arms. “I keep messing up today!” He let out a frustrated grunt and sat up again. “Sorry I keep talking about _girls,_ then. It’s so stupid.”

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the other. “It’s fine.”

 

“I dunno…” Naruto mumbled, picking at the decorative tinsel lining the window next to them. “’S like I’ve been pulling dick moves around you all day.”

 

“I’m over it. It doesn’t matter because you didn’t know.” 

 

“You’re right,” he replied. “So did you leave a guy behind?”

 

“No,” Sasuke replied after a moment. He… hadn’t _exactly_ left one behind, anyway. Even if it were true, it happened a good deal of time ago, and it shouldn’t matter anymore. Sasuke was fifteen, confused, and altogether much more stupid than he was to the present day. It had taken him a long time to trust the guy, anyway, and even then Sasuke had only found him mildly attractive. 

 

“Eh, you can’t really take high school relationships seriously, right?” 

 

“Not when everyone is so immature.” 

 

“That’s true,” Naruto gave him a thumbs up. “Are you ready to leave? We’ve already been here a while…”

 

“Sure,” he said, rising to his feet. He fished around in his pocket for a tip to toss on the table. Naruto tossed his half on the tabletop as well. 

 

As they waited for their crosswalk to clear up, Naruto’s teeth chattered audibly next to him. 

 

“Did it ever snow in California?” he asked, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. 

 

“In some parts,” Sasuke said. “But I mostly saw snow when we went on vacation to Oregon or Chicago.” 

 

“That’s cool. It snows a _lot_ up here. School gets cancelled and everything.” Naruto elbowed him when the light above their heads blinked green and the crowd around them surged forward to cross the street. 

 

“Wouldn’t you have to make it up?”

 

“Agh!” Naruto winced. “Don’t _talk_ about that. It’s horrible and I wouldn’t show up, anyways.” 

 

“Dumbass,” he grumbled. “They’d make you come back on your own time to make it up.”

 

“Fuck off!” Naruto growled, earning him a few dirty looks from the adults around them. “They always think that we don’t have lives outside of schoolwork,” he added. 

 

“And you do?” Sasuke scoffed. 

 

“ _Yeah,”_ Naruto narrowed his eyes at him as they entered the front gates of their school. “I’ve got family, I’ve gotta help out my parents ‘cause they’re always so busy, I have to… keep up my social life. Basic stuff.” 

 

“You have siblings?”

 

Naruto tapped his chin. “Nah. But I have a cat.” 

 

“How does a cat count as a sibling?” Sasuke grimaced. 

 

“If you meet him, he’s got a hell of a personality,” Naruto shook his head to himself. “He’s always so grumpy-“

 

“Isn’t that the way all cats are?”

 

“That’s enough of your questions!” he poked Sasuke in the temple. “Anyway. You think I’m kidding, right? He hates _literally_ everyone and everything. Once in a blue moon, he’ll be in a cuddly kind of mood, but that’s it. He hisses if you try to pet him and he just glares at the ground in a corner of my room all day.”

 

Sasuke frowned. “Are you sure your cat doesn’t have rabies?”

 

“Funny,” Naruto grumbled. “I dunno how seriously you’re taking me, but he’s been like that since the day he was _born._ He’s gonna turn ten pretty soon.”

 

“What a character,” a corner of Sasuke’s lip curled up. “I had a crab once. It didn’t have much of a personality as your cat does.”

 

“Why a crab?”

 

“I found it on the beach when I was little,” he answered. “A hermit.” 

 

“How long did you have it for?”

 

Sasuke glanced up, barely remembering the small crab moving around his sand bucket he’d brought back from the beach. “A few days, maybe.” 

 

“Did it die?” Naruto asked, wavering when Sasuke gave him a look. “Do I wanna know what happened?”

 

“If you do,” Sasuke let a lighthearted smirk spread on his lips. “My brother stepped on it. He must have been ten.” 

 

Naruto tilted his head back as he laughed, coming to a stop in the middle of the parking lot. “Oh my God, what? Your brother’s a crab murderer?” 

 

“You can call it that,” he chuckled. 

 

“Wow,” Naruto sighed as he leant against the stairwell to the front of their school. “The only pet you had.”

 

Sasuke lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “That may be the sole reason we never got a pet again.”

 

“You’re responsible, right?” Naruto smiled. “Maybe you can adopt my cat…? He’s free.” 

 

He snorted. “No thank you. He sounds like a demon.” 

 

“I swear he is sometimes,” the other mumbled, scratching at the nape of his neck. 

 

A comfortable silence fell over them as they made their way up the entrance steps. Sasuke hadn’t noticed before, but Halloween lanterns surrounded the front door of their school, crudely carved out by hand. He prodded at a smaller one with his foot.

 

Naruto cleared his throat. “The freshmen student council made those. They look worse and worse each year.”

 

“I can see that,” he said dryly, leaving the pumpkin he’d been kicking at alone. It almost felt as if they were stalling their goodbyes, even though they’d see each other in the morning. Naruto’s skin looked a bit tanner in the dimming orange light that the sun allowed. 

 

“You think your mom’s done?” he asked, scuffing the toe of his shoe into the cement. 

 

“Probably,” Sasuke pointed out, opening the swinging door. “Is your stuff inside?” 

 

“Nah,” Naruto sounded a bit put out, gesturing over his shoulder. “It’s still out on the field. I’d better go get it ‘cause my ride’s gonna be here in a few.” 

 

“Okay,” he said, holding the door open with his shoulder. “Bye.” 

 

“See you tomorrow!” Naruto sent him a wave over his shoulder as he ran down the stairs, hand skimming the marble rail. 

 

It took a few moments for him to reach the bottom of the stairs, and then Sasuke realized he’d been watching him the whole time. Naruto gave him a curious glance.

 

“Thanks,” he called. “For taking the time.” 

 

The other chuckled. “Any _time,”_ he gave Sasuke a mock salute. “Later.” 

 

This time, Naruto actually jogged towards the soccer field neighboring their school, where a few boys had stayed behind to practice longer. He turned and stepped into the hallway, clenching his hands when he realized just how frigid it had been outside. 

 

Sasuke sent a text to his mother asking where she was, receiving a reply for him to just wait by the front door. When she came by without any trace of Itachi, he raised an eyebrow.

 

“Where is he?”

 

“Went to the men’s room,” his mother replied, smoothing down the front of her dress. “How was dinner with your friend?”

 

“Fine,” he murmured, leaning against the wall and shutting his eyes.

 

“He seems very nice,” Mikoto noted, a small, pleased smile coming onto her face. “I hope he sticks around. I think your father would like him.” 

 

Out of her sight, Sasuke rolled his eyes. His father never specifically _liked_ anyone outside of his family, just tolerated them in the name of hospitality. Fugaku was never rude to Itachi’s friends or Mikoto’s coworkers, but Sasuke knew that his father was more comfortable around people he’d known for a long time. 

 

Soon after, Itachi returned and patted him on the back. Right before they left, Sasuke studied the photos of the most recent graduates of the high school on the wall. 

 

Maybe… it could be this year that his path became a bit clearer. Maybe it could be at this school where he’d utilize more of his lesser abilities and they could all fit together like pieces. Just _maybe,_ and dare he say that a very, very small part of him hoped for it, something in his life could turn change completely. 

 


	2. Nine

He had only been home for about an hour and a half, having done the remainder of his homework during school. Sasuke set about unpacking his clothes and organizing his book shelves. The process was a bit frustrating - when he first packed all of his things into their individual boxes, it had all been rushed, and he hadn’t bothered to label most of them. He’d underestimated the task of _unpacking_ because he’d thought it would be effortless. 

 

Well, it wasn’t, Sasuke thought, sitting in the corner of his bare room and wondering why he hadn’t thrown some of his old clothes out. When Sasuke saw the new house for the first time, he’d been pleased. It wasn’t too different from the one he’d grown up in, built out of stone with wide windows and thick ivory carpeting.

 

Bored, Sasuke stood and decided that he’d attempt to bother his older brother a little. The only reason Itachi had come along with them quite literally _everywhere_ was because he’d insisted moving his old things out of their house in California himself and helping them move into the new home. Sasuke didn’t understand why Itachi kept a majority of his things in their first home when he had an apartment in New Haven, but he guessed it was part of what Itachi was good at. Lingering. 

 

He slipped out of his room and down the hall, where his father had found the time to hang a couple of their family portraits. It smelled slightly of paint and the dinner he’d had. Sasuke made another turn where Itachi’s door was slightly open, allowing a sliver of light into the hall.

 

He pushed the door open. Itachi was sitting at his desk, working. Sasuke made an immediate beeline for Itachi’s bed, laying on his back on top of it. Itachi glanced up from his laptop, the soft sounds of his fingers hitting the keyboard halting. 

 

“Yes?” he asked, peering over his reading glasses at Sasuke.

 

Sasuke didn’t say anything, though he turned his head to stare at his brother. 

 

Itachi gently took the glasses from the bridge of his nose, folding them to set them on his desk. “How was your day at school?” 

 

He sniffed. He sat up and scooted to the head of Itachi’s bed, eyeing the bookcase against the wall. It was filled with books of law and criminal justice, with the occasional dictionary and biography here and there. Sasuke had read every single one of them when Itachi hadn’t been home, and though his brother would make references about some of them in their conversations, he wouldn’t ever admit to doing so.

 

“Is that so? A hooligan in your grade started a fire so you took it upon yourself to bring justice into the community, pulled the fire alarm, got sprayed with the ink on your shirt and the principal framed you?” 

 

Even though he knew better, Sasuke glanced down at his shirt, scowling when he found it to be clean. “Shut up.”

 

“Well,” Itachi sighed and shut his laptop, rising from his chair. “If you don’t tell me these things, I’m going to assume.” 

 

Sasuke eyed him as he came around the bed, heading towards his nightstand. He picked up themug of coffee resting there and took a long, low sip, all the while giving Sasuke a neutral stare. Itachi pressed his lips together as he sighed and set the mug back down, long hair falling over his shoulder in the process. 

 

“Is it that you’re trying to annoy me?” The mattress sank to one side as Itachi seated himself next to Sasuke. “Because you know I don’t mind a bit of time with my little brother.” 

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “You were unreasonably annoying today.” 

 

“Because it _physically_ hurts to socialize?” Itachi wondered, crossing his ankles and folding his hands in his lap. He turned to Sasuke. “You have a friend now.” 

 

“I’m sure shoving me onto him is _not_ how friendship works. I’m not stupid.” 

 

“I never called you stupid,” his brother said distastefully. “I know as a fact that you’re a very intelligent boy. And every intelligent boy needs a _friend.”_

 

“He’s stupid.”

 

Itachi quickly flicked him on the forehead and, to his surprise, it actually stung a bit. “My goodness, Sasuke. How come you’ve always been so quick to judge?” 

 

“It’s not a judgement, it’s an observation,” Sasuke sighed, sinking slightly into the pillows. Itachi regarded him with a wary look, obviously not very approving of his opinion on Naruto. 

 

“I’m not sure how much you know about religion,” Itachi started. “but I know that they all teach the same morals for a _reason._ Have you ever heard the phrase ‘one should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself’?” 

 

“Something like that.” 

 

“Listen to me,” he said firmly. “How would you like it if Naruto called you stupid and the amount of other names you’re probably thinking of? From what I saw today, that boy was nothing less than friendly to you.”

 

Sasuke clenched his fists by his sides. That was, even though he begrudgingly admitted it… true. Perhaps some of his earlier annoyance from their first meeting had bled over into Sasuke’s final impression of him. _But._ Sasuke hadn’t been exactly rude to him. Yes, he’d been distant and aloof, and maybe he’d called Naruto a couple of names, but it wasn’t enough to send the other running. 

  
“He obviously wants to be friends with you,” Itachi said. “You’re lucky you found someone so willing to be friends with you, especially in the middle of the year.”

 

“He’s probably only talking to me because he just moved here two years ago,” Sasuke grumbled. 

 

“He’s empathizing,” his brother rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. “Good. I don’t think he would have spent nearly two hours with you if he didn’t like you.” 

 

Sasuke glanced down at the wrinkled sheets in between them. He twirled a tag of Itachi’s sheets in his fingers, slowly taking in his words. If he was going to become a lawyer, he couldn’t be so biased on his own thoughts… right? But that couldn’t always happen immediately. 

 

“All I’m saying is to appreciate his efforts a bit more,” he added. “Maybe you’ll remember him as the boy who was so graciously nice to you. Now. Did you come to me because you were hungry?” 

 

Sasuke snorted. “No. And if I were, I would make something for myself.”

 

Itachi clucked his tongue. “See? If mother really knew how rude you are, maybe she wouldn’t favorite you so much.” 

 

He snickered as he rolled off the bed and stretched. “She doesn’t favorite me.”

 

Itachi rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Whatever you say,” he mumbled, rising to his feet. “Let me help you move your mattress so that you can sleep on it tonight.” 

 

“I can do it myself,” Sasuke protested.

 

“No,” Itachi told him. “Even dad needed me to help him set up his bed. You’ll hurt yourself.”

 

His lip twitched and he pointed to a spot on the carpet. “You already spilled coffee,” he insisted. 

 

“It was already there,” Itachi waved his hand.

 

Unamused, he watched Itachi stand and tie his hair back in a loose, low ponytail. He waited at the door for a moment before turning to wave Sasuke over. “Come on.”

 

After a few seconds of hesitation, he followed. 

* * *

In the morning, he woke up a bit late to the sound of his alarm, even though he only felt like he’d slept for a few minutes. Sasuke very drowsily acknowledged that his father had drove him to school and wished for him to have a good day.

 

As he walked into the heated school and upstairs to advisory, he had a mild headache from the scent of Itachi’s coffee so early in the morning. Combined with the gradually cold weather, it almost felt as if he had a minor cold. Added on with the untamed chaos in his homeroom with its teacher _nowhere to be found,_ his headache multiplied by threefold. 

 

In his classes throughout the day, Sasuke paid very close and eager attention to his teachers, unwilling to make a bad first impression on them. It was irritating how many assignments and projects he had come in the middle of. He was glad he didn’t have to participate in most of them, though it was confusing at times.

 

At the end of the day during his second free period, he rested in the library again, quickly moving through his homework. It was odd to say that Sasuke didn’t hear but could rather _feel_

Naruto’s presence in the library, despite the librarian continuously rushing in the direction of the study rooms and loudly shushing someone. 

 

This time, Sasuke didn’t listen to music at all. It wasn’t as if he were waiting for Naruto to sneak up on him again—he simply didn’t want an encounter like theirs again. But… it seemed logical to greet the other at least once in the day. Didn’t it? It wasn’t horribly important, but… it was polite. 

 

As if on cue, the chair next to him was dragged out from under the table, and Naruto lowered himself into it. 

 

“Hey,” he said, a small grin on his lips. “You speak English?” 

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, even though a corner of his lips tilted up. “Yes. Very well, actually.”  

 

Naruto stretched his arms out across the table, resting his head on them for a few moments. “How come I _never_ see you except for now?” 

 

“I already told you I have different classes than you do,” he said quietly, closing one of his books. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Naruto waved him off and leant his cheek against his hand. “Oh, that reminds me. You’re a year ahead of us. Can you help me on my math homework?” Without waiting for his answer, Naruto bent over and dug through his backpack. 

 

“I don’t see why not,” he replied.

 

Naruto nearly slammed his book on the table, making his pencil roll away. “There’s a couple of things I don’t get and I have a really big exam on Thursday…” 

 

Sasuke nodded as he pointed a few formulas out. After asking Naruto how much he knew about the section overall, it almost seemed like he hadn’t been present for about three weeks’ worth of lecture. When Sasuke tried to explain something to him, he looked even more confused than he’d been previously. Usually, he had the patience for this, but combined with Naruto’s banter, his fuse was running short. 

 

“Okay,” he grumbled, irritated when Naruto didn’t even copy the original problem down correctly. “Do you even pay attention in class?” 

 

“I try…” Naruto scratched behind his ear. “I dunno. It’s really hard sometimes. I’m pretty sure that you can already tell I can’t even sit still.” 

 

Sasuke eyed the string on the lamp that was swaying with the bouncing of Naruto’s leg under the table and sighed. He realized that the other could’ve taken his jab more badly than he just had. Sasuke tapped his pencil on Naruto’s paper before taking it completely away from him, ignoring Naruto’s whine of disapproval. 

 

He worked out the problem completely before finding a similar one and sliding the paper back to Naruto, rolling the pencil his way. “There. You do that one and follow along with the one I just did.”

 

Naruto pursed his lips and picked the pencil up, scratching on the paper a few times before beginning to work it out. “Just letting you know that you have really shitty handwriting.”

 

“Yours isn’t any better.”

 

“Yeah, but yours is all smudged, too.”

 

Sasuke held up the back of his left hand and glared at Naruto, who snickered before returning back to his work. After a few moments, he made a small sound of excitement. 

 

“I think I did it right,” Naruto flipped to the back of the book to check his answer, moving his finger along the page. “Yes!” 

 

“It’s not that hard,” said Sasuke. “You just have to memorize that one formula and you’ll be fine. For this one, anyway. What are you going to do about everything else you don’t know?” 

 

“It’s not like I don’t know a lot of things,” Naruto said matter-of-factly. “Just a little I don’t know. I’ll have to memorize them perfectly, but I guess I’ll get help from… someone else in the class. The teacher’s really busy.”

 

“She’s the one that teaches all of the maths?”

 

“Yeah, Anko. I guess she’s a good teacher but I don’t really get the way she teaches sometimes.”

 

Sasuke grunted, watching as Naruto stared at him for a second and then turned back to his homework. He certainly didn’t _owe_ Naruto anything, but… it wouldn’t hurt to spend time with someone whom he’d already told that he liked the same sex, wouldn’t hurt to have some company.

 

“I can stay for a while after school,” he offered. “If you need me to.” 

 

Naruto looked up from his paper, mouth slightly open. “Oh. You don’t have to. I can do it by myself or get help from someone else…”

 

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. “I don’t think anyone else in your class would be willing to help you, especially when they have the same test.”

 

He frowned. “You shouldn’t feel like you _have_ to help me. Don’t you have homework yourself?”

 

Sasuke made a gesture towards one of his books. “I finished today’s already. My parents are probably working late, too. I don’t mind.” 

 

The other straightened in his chair, offering Sasuke a bright smile. “Well, okay. We can go grab something to eat if you wanna.”

 

“I think I’ll be fine until I get home,” he decided, watching as the other students in the library began to pack up. 

 

“Okay,” said Naruto, standing up along with him. “I’ll see you in a little while?”

 

“Yeah.”

* * *

After school, they met back up in the library. Sasuke sat with Naruto in an area of the library he’d never been before, at a table pressed up against the pale blue wall. Naruto sat on his right, carefully solving a more difficult problem.

 

“I really get word problems,” Naruto had said when they first arrived. “So I’ll be fine in that area. Just those few other little things.” 

 

“This is like SAT practice,” Sasuke commented. 

  
“Oh, yeah. There’s only a quarter of algebra two on there. You’re taking it this year, right?”

 

“Yes. Are you planning to?”

 

“Yeah! I did really well on the pretests, so… I think I’ll do good.”

 

Sasuke guessed that an hour had passed in their studying. He worked alongside Naruto, taking the work a bit more seriously because it was in fact a refresher for the SAT.

 

He glanced up from his work when his phone went off, a text from Itachi popping up on the screen. He picked it off of the table and held it closer to his face so that he could see the message. 

 

_Tell me when you’re ready to be picked up today. After today, you’ll have to stay until six. I just got an internship._

 

Sasuke frowned. It was true that, when the sports season started, he would have to stay until that time anyway. But for the next two weeks or so, he didn’t have much to do after school besides homework. 

 

_You never told me anything about an internship. You don’t even live here._

 

He waited for a few moments for Itachi to reply, an ellipses appearing onscreen as his brother typed.

 

_It’s in New Haven, of course. Don’t worry, I’ll still have time to spend with you. Maybe this is the around the time you should learn how to drive._

 

“Mah,” Naruto drawled next to him. “How the fuck do I do this?”

 

_Whatever. I’ll be ready in ten minutes._

 

“Do what?” Sasuke asked, glancing over at Naruto’s paper. “Oh. You forgot to put the exponents in order.”

 

“ _Oh!”_ Naruto smacked himself on the forehead and shook his head. “Ugh. I think that’s enough for today.”

 

“Okay,” he said, watching as Naruto slammed his book shut. “Do you want to do this again tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, if that’s fine with you,” the other said. “Are you sure you don’t wanna get paid or anything…? Like, you have your own homework and stuff, and I know I can be really hard to deal with at times.” 

 

Sasuke chuckled. “I know you are. And no, it’s fine. Like I said, it’s a review.” 

 

Naruto grinned. “Can I get your number? You know, if I have a question or somethin’. Maybe we can hang out over the weekend.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and slid it across the table towards Sasuke.

 

He eyed the cracked screen and warily picked it up, running his thumb over a shatter. “Why don’t you get a new one?” he asked. 

 

The other watched him and set his chin in his hands. “I have too much stuff on it to let it go. I’ll put it on a flash drive in the future or somethin’.” 

 

Sasuke gave a grunt of acknowledgement and finished the last few digits of his number before handing it back to Naruto. “There. I almost lost a finger in the process.” 

 

Naruto snorted. “It only hurts sometimes. I dropped it down the stairs here, so it’s definitely seen better days.” 

 

He rolled a pencil back towards Naruto and stood, pushing the chair back in. Naruto hummed a song that often played on the radio to himself as he stuffed his papers back into his binder, forcing a pencil into his pocket.

 

“You’re a mess,” Sasuke told him.

  
“Yeah,” agreed Naruto, a sly smile forming on his lips. “A hot one.”

 

Over the next couple of days, they took on the same routine. Work (dawdle off) in their last free period of which Naruto always told Sasuke that he hadn’t seen him all day, part their ways to their respective homerooms, and return back to the library to venture into the information Naruto didn’t understand about algebra two. To Sasuke, it was oddly calming being with the other. To his older brother, it was golden information to share with their parents about his new _friend,_ because he’d taken notice of the lack of complaint for being abandoned at school so long after it ended. 

 

On Wednesday afternoon, Naruto seemed decidedly more jittery than he had been the day before.

“I just don’t wanna blank out on this one,” Naruto mumbled, staring down at his homework. “‘Cause it’s happened before.”

 

“You know everything almost perfectly,” said Sasuke, rocking back on his chair. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” 

 

“Really?” the other asked wistfully. 

 

When Sasuke turned to question the longer-than-normal silence, Naruto had given him the most _disgustingly_ affectionate look he’d ever seen in his life. 

  
“What?” he snapped, leaning away from the other. 

 

“Thanks for helpin’ me so much,” Naruto gave him a small smile. “Seriously. I really owe you.” 

 

“I told you it wasn’t that big of a deal.” 

 

Next to him, Naruto tensed, most likely readying to snap at him. But instead, he laughed quietly to himself and rested back in his chair. “Whatever, Sas.”

* * *

“Your first and my last week here,” Itachi noted on Wednesday afternoon, tapping a ballpoint pen against his chin. His loose hair tangled at the back of his office chair when he turned slightly. “I truly am glad to see that you’ve made a friend.” 

 

“But-“

 

“Don’t even start,” Itachi said quietly, crossing one ankle over the other. He gave Sasuke an assessing look. “You’re transparent. Very much so.” 

 

He tilted his head from his spot in Itachi’s doorway. “You’re so _irritating.”_

 

Itachi scoffed and tossed his pen onto his desk, creating a quiet clack. “Remind me that this boy didn’t even say anything when you told him you were-“

 

Sasuke cleared his throat. “Mom says that dinner’s ready.”

 

“Teenagers will be teenagers,” his brother said condescendingly, turning to search his desk for a hair tie. “And teenagers want to _know_ things.” 

 

“You’re not even making sense,” Sasuke muttered, turning away as Itachi gathered his hair at the nape of his neck. 

 

Later that night, he both knew and felt that that had been a redundant conversation. Itachi’s fetish of speaking in riddles had surfaced again, and Sasuke didn’t appreciate it one bit. _Not at all._ It was another one of his passive aggressive mind games he planted in Sasuke’s head, to distract him from something or make him focus on one thing or _both._ By this age, he now knew that Itachi’s goal was to make him overthink, and in the end, some sort of revelation would be awaiting him. 

 

He turned over in his bed and squinted into the darkness. Well, whatever. Itachi could pull this shit whenever he wanted to, but it would be Sasuke’s wrong move to take every one of his words seriously. After all, Sasuke had only gone into his room to tell him that dinner was ready, and he’d left five times more aggravated than he’d already been. 

* * *

Friday morning, Sasuke arrived to school a bit later than he usually did due to the series of minor accidents on the way to school. He dragged his feet as he went upstairs and into his homeroom where, for the first time in the entire week, Kakashi sat at his desk. The chaos in the room hadn’t died down in the slightest bit, and his newfound group of companions all turned their heads when he entered the room.

 

“Eh?” the man questioned, glancing up from the book in his hands. “Who are you?” 

 

“He’s been here the whole week,” Suigetsu answered for him, lazily leaning against the teacher’s desk. 

 

“You would know that if you had been here!” Sakura snapped, jabbing an accusing finger at the teacher. “Do you have any idea how much Iruka has came in here and asked where you were?”

 

“Maa, maa,” Kakashi waved them away, setting his book face down on his desk. “We’ll all be fine. Who is this again?” 

 

“Your class register is _right in front of you,”_ Sakura hissed, interrupting Sasuke once again. “If you’d put that damn porn down-“ 

 

“No need for profanity,” Kakashi said pleasantly, glancing down at his roster. “Don’t you agree, Sasuke?” 

 

Only because everyone around the desk had turned to look at him with wide eyes, Sasuke sighed. “No.”

 

“So he talks!” he clapped his hands together. “Well, I have business to take care of, so…” Kakashi stood from his chair and stuffed his book into the inside pocket of his coat.

 

“Don’t you _dare,”_ Karin spat, narrowing her eyes at him. “We’ll staple your sleeves to the chair if we have to.” 

 

Even though it wasn’t even _that_ cold outside, Kakashi adjusted the dark scarf around the lower half of his face. “How cute. I’ll stay if I must. But you all _must_ work, or Iruka will be on my case again.” 

 

“He’s never even told us to work the whole year,” Karin mumbled under her breath, dragging her backpack behind her as they moved to the back of the room.

 

Sakura grit her teeth together. “If he tries to sneak away, I swear…” 

 

Sasuke watched as they seated themselves on the ground again, forming the circle they’d unconsciously agreed on ever since he’d arrived.  
  
“You know,” he started. “There is a reason that chairs were invented.” 

 

“Chairs are _boring_ ,” Suigetsu sang, tossing his water bottle on the ground. “Plus, haven’t you noticed how comfy the floor is? Nice.” 

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and seated himself cross-legged on the floor, placing his hands on his knees. Sakura and Karin went back and forth about some action movie they were planning to see over the weekend and Suigetsu spilled most of the contents of his oversized water bottle, soaking most of the carpet and upsetting their classmates. 

 

The door to the room swung open and bounced off of the wall slightly, revealing a few of the student council members filing in. Behind them, Naruto bounded in, who made a beeline for Sasuke the moment he saw him. 

 

“Cousin Karin!” he grinned, grabbing the girl in question by the shoulders and shaking her a bit. The second he tried to go in for a hug, though, she smacked him away with a few curses and nearly sent him toppling on top of Sakura.

 

“Naruto,” she held up a hand, the other pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m not in the mood this morning.”

 

Naruto sniffed and turned to Sasuke, a large grin on his face. “Hey! Y…” his eyes drifted down to his chest, where they widened and Naruto set a hand over his mouth, scandalized. 

 

“…Excuse me?” asked Sasuke, glancing down at his shirt for some sort of stain. “What is it?” 

 

“Why are you wearing the sweater vest!” Naruto breathed, reaching out to tug at the sleeve. “This is _horrible!_ Sasuke, you look like a nerd!” 

 

“He looks cute,” Karin chimed in, glancing up from her book. “I don’t see what the huge deal is. Are you mad because he’s pulling it off better than you could?” 

 

Naruto sputtered for a few moments before throwing a piece of paper at her, which she dodged. “If you’re wondering, I look _great_ in the sweater vest,” he told Sasuke haughtily, still tugging at the sleeve. 

 

“I’m sure you do,” he drawled. “Shouldn’t you be heading back to your advisory?”

 

“Ah, wait! I came here to tell ya somethin’,” Naruto let go of his sleeve and leant back on his hands. “I’m getting my test back in class, right before our free period. Will you buy me macaroni if I get an A like I know I did?”

 

“You’re awful today,” Sasuke said, though he chuckled. “Why are you so sure of yourself?”

 

“‘Cause you helped me,” Naruto gave him a lopsided smile.

 

He rolled his eyes. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

 

The other laughed. 

* * *

Sasuke, by pure mistake, had sat in the area of the library where he and Naruto would study after school. It was decidedly less busy than the other parts of the library, so he was thankful. 

 

He worked on an essay on his laptop for a good while, occasionally turning around to make sure his friend didn’t sneak up on him. Sasuke wondered if he should move to the tables where they usually sat, but he concluded that Naruto would eventually find him. 

 

Eventually, as the minutes ticked by and Naruto still hadn’t come by, he took a good look around the library just to make sure he wasn’t with another friend. Nothing. Sasuke frowned and shut his laptop, having long since finished and edited his essay. 

 

The middle of the period and Naruto was still nowhere to be seen? It was odd, but Sasuke knew he might be doing something else. He dragged out his pre-cal book to get started on some homework after another wary glance around the library.

  
He had just been a few problems in when someone pushed themselves into the chair next to his, knocking his calculator against the wall. 

 

“Naruto?” he asked, eyeing the blond hair peeking out from crossed arms.

 

The other didn’t reply, keeping his face tucked tightly into his arms. Sasuke craned his neck to see if Naruto had fallen asleep within the few moments he’d been sitting there, tapping him on the shoulder.   


Naruto grunted, still refusing to raise his head from his arms. His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath in and let it out loudly, scooting his chair in. 

 

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and very slowly returned to his homework, wondering why Itachi always picked on him for being the odd one. Every few moments, he glanced to Naruto, who had moved from hiding his face in his arms to pressing his forehead into the edge of the table using his phone in his lap, texting someone in a rush. 

 

He set his pencil down and rubbed the smudged lead away from the side of his palm. “Naruto…?” he tried again.

 

It seemed to rouse Naruto from whatever trance he had been in, and the other glanced at him. It was… startling to Sasuke to see the look in his eyes, hallow and disheartened. 

 

“Anko gave me my test back,” he said quietly, voice just barely above a mumble. Naruto opened his blazer to dig through the pocket on the inside before pulling out two papers, one of them a Scantron. His jaw tensed before he slid the papers towards Sasuke. “I got a fucking _nine.”_

 

“What?” Sasuke stared down at a copy of the multiple choice test and its answer sheet. He did his best to piece together how on Earth this could possibly happen - Naruto had known every last thing, had crossed his T’s and dotted his I’s in his work. 

 

“I _knew_ everything,” Naruto mumbled, pressing his forehead against the desk again. His voice came out muffled. “But it’s _my_ fault. I fucked up on the Scantron and missed a question…” 

 

Sasuke glanced down to where, somewhat early in the test, Naruto had skipped a bubble and it had skewed his answers. His lips parted as he saw the wrong marks that continued down from the one problem he’d missed, and the harsh grade scribbled at the bottom of the slip.

 

“Anko said that now I’ve seen the grade, it’s school policy that I can’t retake it,” he said shakily. “She said she checked my work and I would’ve gotten an A plus. But it’s on the stupid goddamn Scantron… she even hugged me and everything…” 

 

He glanced at the date Naruto had written a bit shakily on the paper, a reminder of his anxiety during tests. Sasuke’s eyes widened, and he glanced to the other who was watching him miserably. “Naruto…” he said hesitantly. “Don’t tell me it’s-“ 

 

Naruto nodded, sitting up to rub his face with his hands. “It’s end of quarter,” he whispered. “I’m failing algebra on my record now. They can’t change it.” 

 

Sasuke said nothing, watching as Naruto’s phone vibrated in his lap and he winced.   
  
“She posted the grades,” Naruto mumbled, reading the text. “My mom’s really mad. She doesn’t believe me.” 

 

“Why wouldn’t she?” he asked, carefully sliding the test back over to Naruto. “She’ll believe you once you explain it to her-“ 

 

“It’s not that she doesn’t believe me in a bad way,” he looked at Sasuke. “Sometimes I just felt really bad for suckin’ at math and told my parents I fell asleep or something. It’s better than disappointment…” at that, Naruto’s voice barely cracked, and he glanced back down again.

 

He gave Naruto a neutral look. “Why don’t you send her a picture of it? So she can see.” 

 

“Oh,” the other mumbled, glancing behind him to make sure the librarian wasn’t watching. Naruto quickly snapped a picture and sent it to his mother, often making typos from the gloss in his eyes he was trying to hide from Sasuke. 

 

Sasuke could feel the tension in his friend build up as the moments went by, and the other rested his forehead on the table again. “I’m so fuckin’ _stupid,_ ” he said in a small voice, softly banging his head against the surface. “It’s no one else’s fault but mine. I didn’t even look at the Scantron to make sure I didn’t miss a problem…” 

 

Naruto sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms as he pressed his lips together. 

 

At that, Sasuke felt a strong pang of offense. Over the past few days, Naruto had proven himself to be anything but stupid, picking things up even faster than Sasuke would have in some instances, and keeping along with his pace without a problem. Silently, he watched as Naruto wiped at his eyes again and attempted to take a calming breath. 

 

“Sorry,” the other mumbled, brushing the moisture away from his cheeks with the sleeves of his blazer. “This is stupid.” 

 

“It was a mistake,” Sasuke said firmly, lacing his fingers together on his lap. “It’s not your fault that you were excited to get a high grade.” 

 

Naruto frowned at him before he sniffled, turning his phone face down on the table. 

 

“Look at it from a larger point of view,” he continued. “You’ll know exactly what you’re doing on your final.” 

 

“I guess you’re right,” Naruto offered, sagging back against his chair. “But it still sucks. I can’t play sports for the rest of the year and then colleges will see it…” 

 

“Well,” he shrugged. “If you get an A next semester, they may overlook it.” 

 

“Next time around,” Naruto agreed quietly, still missing most of the energy he usually had. “Can I have a hug?”

 

“Hug yourself.” 

 

Naruto looked like he was about to say something before his phone vibrated on the table, creating a loud buzz. He snatched it and quickly opened a text from his mother, reading it. Sasuke watched the brightness slowly seep back into the other’s eyes as they moved along the screen. 

 

“My mom’s not angry anymore,” he said happily, typing a message back to her. “She said we’ll talk about it more when we get home.” Naruto turned his screen towards Sasuke so that he could read, and he caught a glimpse of something like _Seriously, Naruto?!?! A 9 on your algebra exam?? You’ll really get an earful when you get home, just you wait!!_

 

After that, he glimpsed over the messages in which Naruto had tried to explain what happened, and then the photo of his actual Scantron. After that, more understanding and apologetic messages showed up, followed by some sappy ones from Naruto in which he promised to do better and help out at home more often.

 

Naruto whined. “Hey… Sasuke.” 

 

He closed his eyes. “What.”

 

“Thanks a lot,” he said warmly, giving Sasuke a generous smile. “I really, really mean it. I know food won’t make up for all the time you helped me, but my parents said I could invite you and your family over to the restaurant. It’s free.”

 

Sasuke tilted his head. “I’ll let my family know, but by family, I’m counting out Itachi.” 

 

Naruto laughed. “Whatever’s fine. My parents wanna meet you, so… yeah. Our parents would probably get along? I think my mom’ll like yours, at least.”

 

He nodded and turned back to the table, where the forgotten test lay. He and Naruto glanced down at the subject that had caused extreme upset just a few moments ago, glancing back down a the giant red 9 scratched on the bottom.

 

And, because the grade was so utterly ridiculous and Sasuke hadn’t ever seen such in his life, he followed Naruto’s snickering laughter and struggled to keep it down so the librarian wouldn’t wander over. The other held the grade up and burst into another round of laughter, clutching his stomach with his arm. 

 

“Oh God,” he whimpered, rubbing the tears away from his eyes, though they were from a different cause now. “I don’t think I’ve gotten a grade like this since algebra _one.”_

 

“Algebra one was easy,” Sasuke pointed out, leaning back in his chair. “How in the world did you get a grade even lower than that when it’s practically just multiplication?”

 

“Hey, it was hard at the time,” Naruto smiled and set the paper back down. “Ah. Now that I think about it, it’s not as bad as it seems. I dunno. Maybe it is. Like, I’m failing the quarter now, but… it doesn’t feel like it,” he gave Sasuke a contemplative look. 

 

“Maybe someone got an even lower grade than you did,” he murmured, resting his chin on his hand. “Who knows.” 

 

“Yeah,” Naruto echoed, tucking the papers back into his pocket. “Who knows?” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Something important I should say - this fic is certainly told in third person, but not omniscient. This is how Sasuke himself interprets things as they happen. He’s socially awkward and often misses social cues unknowingly (something you might pick up in his conversations) but Naruto and his family are the ones that just goes along with it. Suigetsu has previously pointed it out, but Sasuke didn’t consciously get it. I don’t really him and Naruto interacting in school. It feels constricting. Anyway. Spoiled, the lot of you are, having the second chapter within a few days. Thank you for all of the lovely feedback and keep it coming.


	3. Namikaze's

After that, the bell had interrupted their small bonding session, sending he and Naruto on their separate ways. Kakashi had given him a half-assed congratulations on surviving his first week of school, followed by some quiet applause and encouraging smiles from a couple of girls in the class. When they were dismissed, Sasuke went straight to the pickup line outside their school, eager to get home. 

 

He spotted Itachi’s car, its windows tinted nearly black and looking as if his brother had just gotten it washed. Sasuke slid into the front seat, the heated air and seats graciously welcomed.

 

Itachi glanced up from his tablet, assessing Sasuke for a moment. “Hello,” he greeted. “How was your day?”

 

Sasuke tossed his backpack into the backseat and buckled his seatbelt quickly, knowing that Itachi wasn’t one to take time generously. He pulled out of the driveway and onto the immediate highway, waiting for a few cars to pass by. “It was fine.” 

 

“Anything interesting happen?”

 

“Not particularly,” he sighed, glancing down at the cup of coffee in his brother’s cup holder. “Can I have some?” 

 

“You wouldn’t like it,” Itachi answered, sending him a short glance. “But help yourself if you need it.” 

 

“Is it the one that tastes like ashes and fire?” Sasuke asked, gingerly picking up the cup and tilting it back to have a sip. “Oh no. It is.” 

 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” his brother chuckled. “Would you like to pick something up? Need some school supplies?”

 

“No,” Sasuke set his elbow on the middle console. “Straight home.” 

 

Suddenly, the screen on Itachi’s dashboard lit up and Sasuke glanced down at it. It was a Bluetooth call from one his brother’s friends, Kisame. The ringing distracted Itachi for a moment and, as he glanced down at it, he sighed.

 

“Aren’t you going to get that?”

 

“No,” Itachi replied, tapping the ignore button. “He’s been bothering me about a certain partnership, but I think I’ll let him handle it on his own.”

 

He spared his brother a glance and shrugged, glancing out the window. It almost looked as if it would rain this weekend - it had already been drizzling here and there throughout the day, enough to mash the fallen leaves together and create a hideous slush on the roads.

 

Itachi grunted as they came to a stop light. He rested his left arm on the armrest by his seat and stroked his chin. “Anyway, I’m glad you had a good week. It seems much easier than your last school.” 

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leant back into the seat. “I speak one word to Naruto…” 

 

“Or a few thousand,” Itachi interrupted, sending him a knowing smirk. “I hope you’ve been nice to everyone. No matter what you say, your reputation matters. Your name has most likely spread across the school by now.” 

 

Sasuke scowled. “Idiots.” 

 

“If you register on any social networks, be assured that I’ll have Kisame monitoring your activity,” Itachi commented, drumming his index finger on the steering wheel. “At least if I can’t myself. You wouldn’t block me, would you?” 

 

“What?” Sasuke mumbled, sending his brother an odd glance. “I don’t want to be harassed online.”

 

“You have a blurry conception between the words _harass_ and _befriend,”_ his brother noted. “But it doesn’t matter. We’re an old fashioned family, Sasuke, and it should stay in the generations.” 

 

“We aren’t,” he pointed out. “You just refuse to learn how to use any type of new technology. Do you even know how to operate the GPS system in this car?” 

 

“I don’t see how that’s necessary,” said Itachi. “I read a map. Relying on technology isn’t going to get you anywhere but the bottom of a ditch.”  

 

Sasuke snorted. “Even mother knows how to use acronyms when she’s texting.” 

 

He started when his phone vibrated in his pocket, quickly shifting off of his leg to pull it out. A text from Naruto displayed on the screen.

 

_is tomorrow night ok for the restaurant? Sorry about the short notice!!_

 

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. _I’ll check with my parents. It should be fine, though._

 

His brother glanced over at him scoffed. “I miss the days where you ran around the house in your diaper and harassed me into playing with you. Maybe we should go through the photo album again and reminiscence how sweet you were.”

 

“Well, it was bound to end,” he deadpanned. “Would you appreciate it if I ran in a diaper as I am now?”

 

Itachi sighed as he pulled into their driveway, pushing a button to turn his engine off. He turned in his seat and looked Sasuke straight in the eye. “If by all means, if you looked up to me as much as you did then, I could overlook the diaper part.”

 

Sasuke gave his brother a disgusted look and exited the car, slamming the door shut behind him. He heard his brother’s snickers even as he headed towards the house, shaking his head. 

  
“I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Itachi called, suddenly a few feet behind him. “But our parents still have our old toys. They may be to your interest, especially the rattles and stuffed animals-“ 

 

Sasuke shut the front door in his face, venturing into the living room. The television was off and his father wasn’t on the couch, so he must have still been at work. He saw that his mother had set a few more things up, like the speaker systems and the hallway night lights. 

 

He glanced into the kitchen on the way, not finding her there either. After tossing his backpack into his dark room, Sasuke wandered down the hallway and into the study, where the light leaked into the hallway.

 

“Mom?” he called.

 

Mikoto looked up from the pile of papers on her desk in surprise, removing her reading glasses. “Sasuke!” she smiled, pushing herself away from the desk and greeting him with a kiss on cheek. She smelled like tea. “How was your day?” 

 

“Good,” he said quietly, setting a hand on her shoulder as she leant away. He glanced over at the tall shelves of books and records behind herMikoto leant over her desk to log out of her computer. “What’s for dinner?”

 

“You’ve been building up an appetite lately,” she commented. “I thought we could order something to eat. Chinese or pizza?”

 

“Chinese.” 

 

“Okay. I’ll ask your brother…” Mikoto glanced out of the hallway. “Where is he?”

 

“No clue,” Sasuke replied, playing with one of the buttons on his blazer. He followed her down the hallway and into the kitchen, where she offered to make him some tea. Sasuke watched her move around the kitchen as it warmed in the kettle. 

 

 “I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

 

Mikoto looked up from the oven, tilting her head. “Is everything okay?”

 

“It’s fine,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just that my Naruto invited us over to his family’s restaurant. Do you remember him?” 

 

“Yes,” she replied, sending him a small smile. “He’s such a cute boy. That’s very nice of him. When does he want us over?” 

 

“…Tomorrow,” said Sasuke, lacing his fingers together on top of the table. “Is that okay?” 

 

“Of course,” she murmured, grabbing a cup from the cabinet. She poured him a cup of his tea and brought it over to him. “Just get a definite time for us to get there.” 

 

“I will,” he said quickly. “Thank you.” 

 

“You’re welcome,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “That’s still very nice of Naruto and his family to offer us dinner.” 

 

“Yes, it is…” he grumbled, taking a sip of his green tea. “Will dad be able to make it?”

 

“I’m sure he’ll take some time off,” said Mikoto, blowing the steam away from her own tea. 

* * *

Later on that night, after Sasuke had done his homework for Monday because he’d been bored, he got a call from Naruto. 

 

He stared at the screen of his phone for a few moments, wondering if he should ignore it or pick it up. After using his good judgement and brushing against the friendlier side of his personality, he answered it.

 

“…Why are you calling me?” Sasuke asked.

 

“Well,” Naruto replied, his voice slightly grainy. “Hello to you too. I just wanted to ask you if you wanna stay over after we eat tomorrow night, but if you bring _that_ attitude into the house…” 

 

He chuckled. “It’s eleven at night. Don’t blame me for being suspicious at this hour.” 

 

“‘This hour’? What the hell? Ah, never mind. You seem like the type of guy to go to bed at, like, seven,” Naruto sighed into the phone. “Well? What d’ya say? I live a couple of minutes away from the restaurant.” 

 

“Itachi’s leaving on Tuesday, so…” Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed and tucked his foot into the crook of his other leg. “I’ll check with my parents.”

 

“Alright,” he said cheerfully. “I’ll send you both of the addresses soon. I’ll let you get your beauty sleep, too, so g’night.” 

 

“What-“ Sasuke began, though he was interrupted by a short beep of the call ending.

 

For a few moments, he stared at the screen of his phone just like he had when Naruto had first called him. He played with the seam on the ankle of his pajama pants and tossed it onto the far corner of his bed. 

 

Naruto was ridiculous, he concluded, standing up and stretching for a few short seconds. Sasuke checked the time again and left his room, glancing out into the hallway to see if Itachi was still awake. There was no light under his door, so Sasuke padded his way down the opposite side of the hall to see if either of his parents were awake.

 

He slowly opened his parents’ door and glanced inside, the nightlight’s brightness from the hall spilling in. From what Sasuke could see, his mother’s figure was curled up under the covers, the space beside her empty. 

 

Knowing that his father would be home at this time, he shut the door quietly and made his way into the living room, finding his father sitting at the couch and watching the late news.

 

“Dad?”

 

His father turned to look back at him. “Sasuke,” he acknowledged, turning the volume on the television down. “Where have you been?”

 

Sasuke noticed that Fugaku was still in his work clothes, though his suit coat was tossed over the top of the couch. He seated himself on the armrest of the love seat. “Studying in my room.” 

 

Fugaku grunted and watched the news for a few moments. “How were your grades this week? Is this school challenging enough for you?”

 

“I don’t think I’ve been here long enough to deduct that,” he said. “But I have A’s in so far.”

 

“Make sure those are exact one hundreds,” Fugaku turned to him, the light from the TV illuminating half of his face. “Princeton is full of valedictorians. You’ll have a greater chance of getting in if you are one, too.” 

 

Sasuke nodded. “Okay… I wanted to ask if mom already told you about dinner tomorrow.”

 

“This is new information.” 

 

“My friend invited us to go eat at his parent’s restaurant at five. And for me to stay over that night.” 

 

“That’s fine,” Fugaku rubbed at his eyes tiredly. “Just make sure it’s okay with your mother.” 

 

“Yes…” Sasuke stood up and set his hand on the back of the couch. He watched the news for a couple of minutes with his father, a debate over the expenses of the current education. “Goodnight.” 

 

“Sleep well, Sasuke.”

 

Sasuke left the living room, making sure to turn off all the lights he’d turned on in his wake. He took extra care to make sure he didn’t wake up Itachi or his mother, since all of the members of his family were extremely light sleepers, including him. Sasuke knew that Itachi was probably working in the dark, though, so he made sure not to lure the bear out of its cave. 

 

Sasuke set about brushing his teeth and washing his face before bed, rubbing his shoulder as he read a couple of texts from Naruto. They were simply the addresses of his house and restaurant and Naruto telling him to dress casually, so Sasuke didn’t reply. 

 

As he crawled into bed and shut off his lamp, he was calm for once. It didn’t feel as if he’d been torn from the home he’d grown up in and thrown into a state on the opposite side of the country. It didn’t feel as if he’d only been at this school for a week or traveled over several time zones or only knew the names of several of his teachers. For a moment—or at least, this moment—Sasuke felt like he was truly _at home_ , even though the house was still littered with boxes and he had no clue where most of his underwear was. It was calm and serene, and he was thankful that he finally felt like this for once. Sasuke hoped that he could feel like this, even though it was a long way to wish, all the time.

* * *

Sasuke woke up a bit late in the morning, and only because Itachi had him by the wrist and was attempting to pull him off of his bed.

 

“What,” Sasuke slurred as he woke from his side brushing against the carpet. “…What the fuck are you _doing?”_ he growled, yanking his wrist from his brother’s grasp.

 

“How can you already be in a bad mood?” questioned Itachi, feigning an innocent look. “You just woke up a few seconds ago. “

 

He sent his brother a withering glare and pushed himself off of his bedside table, one of his legs getting tangled in his sheets as he tried to stand. “Why don’t you answer me first?”

 

“I don’t have anything to answer,” he replied. “Watch your mouth.”

 

“Yours isn’t any better.” 

 

“While that may be true,” Itachi followed him to the other side of the room, where he _very_ slowly opened his shutters. “That doesn’t justify a teenaged boy like you cursing. It’s in your best interest to break out of the habit. What if one slips out during class, or an interview?” 

 

“I have self control,” he narrowed his eyes at Itachi. “So that’s not happening.”

 

“I’m sure it won’t,” Itachi said pleasantly, though a heavy dose of sarcasm dripped into his voice. “Anyway. To answer your earlier question, it’s noon, and mother doesn’t want you sleeping half the day away. She asks if you want brown or white rice with lunch.” 

 

He hesitated for a moment. “White.”

 

“Good.”

 

Itachi stared at him for a minute, though he looked like he didn’t expect anything. “Well. Are you going to get ready? Mother told me about dinner with your new boyfriend, and-“

 

“Itachi,” he hissed, stepping over a box or two to hold his bedroom door open. “It’s time for you to go.”

 

“What’s the rush?” he asked, hovering in the doorway so that Sasuke couldn’t shut him out. 

 

Sasuke pushed the door a bit more closed and stuck his arm out, flicking his hand in a shooing motion that made Itachi’s shadow slink away. He sighed and shut the door before checking his phone. There was one message from Naruto.

 

_Hey!!!!! Plans still on???_

 

Sasuke grunted to himself. _Yes._

 

He turned it facedown on his dresser before running a hand through his hair to make sure he looked like he hadn’t almost been dragged through the house by Itachi. Sasuke followed the smell of soup into the kitchen to find his family lounging at the island and his mother pouring a bag of rice into a steamer. 

 

“Good morning, Sasuke,” she greeted, giving the bag a few taps so that the last few grains fell out. “What was all the fuss about?” 

 

“Itachi tried to drag me out of bed. He had me by the wrist.”

 

“Itachi,” Mikoto said condescendingly, raising her eyebrow at the man resting across the room. “He’s always roughhoused you from the moment you could walk. Never did I think I would have to scold him about it to this day.”

 

“Excuse me? I said his name a good amount of times and even shook him by the shoulder. It would have been rude to pour cold water on him.”

 

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, put Mikoto quickly shushed him. 

 

“That’s enough,” she said, patting Sasuke on the wrist a couple of times with a wooden spoon. “Fugaku, the food’s almost ready. Would you set up the table for us?” 

 

His father grunted and reluctantly stood from his chair at the head of the table. Sasuke glanced into the living room, where the TV was once again on the local news. He walked over to the dining room table, where he seated himself next to Itachi.

 

“You smell like cardboard,” his brother complained, placing his pen in the spine of his textbook. 

 

“That might be because of the fact that we just moved.” 

 

Sasuke watched his father quietly place their silverware in front of them, clanging gently against each other. After a few moments, his mother brought all of the dishes of their lunch to the table.

 

When Sasuke was finished eating, he took a long, relaxing shower. When he got out, it was around three, so he took his time preening himself. 

 

Once Sasuke was done, he found that he had nothing productive to do other than his homework and study, so he did just that until he felt sick of it and fidgety. He had a few gaming systems, but he wasn’t the type to often indulge in them. Sasuke played with the idea of harassing Itachi but quickly tossed it in the trash, figuring that he should let the other do the work he was currently missing. He unpacked the little things that he had left boxed, smashing them so he could throw them away. 

 

Sasuke wandered into the living room where he found both of his parents absent. He stopped for a moment and heard the water running, concluding that they were getting ready for dinner. He glanced out of the window for a few minutes, watching the neighborhood boys play a game of basketball with a cheap hoop in one of their driveways. 

 

Sasuke sighed and turned, walking down the hall and barging into Itachi’s room. 

 

“Are you going to dinner with us?” he asked.

 

Itachi slowly raised his head from his desk, glasses askew and his hair in a loose knot at the crown of his scalp. He blinked at Sasuke a couple of times. So he’d caught Itachi napping. 

 

_“_ I’m sorry?” 

 

“I asked if you’re going to eat dinner with us,” he repeated, leaning against the doorframe. “At Naruto’s.”

 

“Actually,” Itachi raised a hand to his temple, digging a thumb into the skin. “I’m not. I’m not feeling too well.”

 

Sasuke blinked, delving deeper into Itachi’s room and seating himself on his bed. It was extremely rare that Itachi ever got sick - maybe once or even twice throughout their whole childhood. Even then, they were mild colds that lasted a couple of days.

 

“Why aren’t you feeling well?”

 

“I always get migraines whenever the season changes like this,” his brother said quietly, standing so that he could clean up his desk. “If I go, I’ll feel worse as the night goes on. I’ll just stay home and work.” 

 

“…Okay,” Sasuke allowed, sending his brother a slightly concerned look. “Have you told mom?”

 

“Yes,” Itachi approached his bookcase, bending over to grab a book from its bottom shelf. “It’s sad that I won’t be able to see your new friend in action now. Maybe in the future.” 

 

“You would just make fun of me to him,” Sasuke pointed out, scooting a bit to the side so that Itachi could sit upright on the bed with his book. “So you can follow your mastermind plan to make sure I don’t have friends.”

 

Itachi gave him a pensive glance. “You’re better off without friends.”

 

“You have Kisame.”

 

“Because he’s been a loyal comrade for years,” he protested. “Fourteen years, to be exact.” 

 

Sasuke shook his head, swinging his legs off of the bed. “Whatever. I’m getting ready.”

 

“Have fun,” said Itachi, opening his novel. 

 

“See you tomorrow,” Sasuke replied, shutting the bedroom door behind him. 

 

Sasuke headed back to his own room, closing the door behind him so that he could change. He opened the door to his closet, in which most of his clothes were still in dry cleaning bags. 

 

_Dress casually,_ Naruto had said. But what was the true degree casual? Was casual old jeans and ratty shoes? Was it pressed jeans and a relatively nice shirt? Sasuke wasn’t sure. He settled on a pair of well-fitting, dark jeans and a deep blue V-neck that had surfaced when he’d packed up back in California. 

 

Sasuke wasn’t sure why he was putting so much thought into what he looked like as he stood in front of the mirror. Why would Naruto care what he wore? The idiot came to school in completely rumpled clothes, and sometimes his tie was inside out. But Sasuke was meeting his parents… it was something to look a bit nice for. 

 

Since Itachi had pointed out that he smelled like cardboard earlier, he used his cologne for the first time in a while. He made sure that his pockets weren’t sticking out and that there was no lint on his shirt. He packed one of his sports duffel bags with all of his necessities for the night, tossing his last pair of locatable underwear in.

 

Once Sasuke was ready, he walked into the living room to find his parents ready. His mother was wearing a knee-length navy blue dress and the pumps she always wore, a string of pearls resting on her collar.

 

“You look nice,” Sasuke told her.

  
“We’re always running late,” Fugaku grumbled, fixing his tie. 

 

Mikoto gave him a small smile. “Both of you look very handsome. Now let’s hurry. We can’t be late to something we were invited to.” 

 

Sasuke glanced back at Itachi’s closed door. His father ushered him through the front door with a firm, large hand on his shoulder, and he followed his mother to the car.

* * *

When they arrived to the restaurant about a quarter after five, Sasuke was slightly alarmed to find it bustling with customers. He had texted Naruto to let him know that they were running a bit late, and Naruto had said that it was fine because his family was running late, as well. 

 

Namikaze’s was a modern, two-story Japanese restaurant that seemed infamous to the public. He could already see a long line inside, one that promised at least a couple of hours of wait time. Sasuke followed his father as they entered through the rotating doors and into the restaurant that had very little lighting, save the few hanging lightbulbs from the ceiling. It smelled of cooked fish and vegetables in the air, easy on the nose and mouthwatering. 

 

The waiters and waitresses looked stressed as they rushed in and out of the kitchen doors, behind one very frustrated and _familiar_ looking host.

 

“Sasuke?” Karin gave him a huge grin, pushing her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose.

 

“Karin-”

 

“We’re dining with the Uzumakis,” his mother spoke over the chatter in the restaurant, not hearing either of them. 

 

“Oh!” she glanced down at her binder. “Upstairs, table fourteen. Have a good meal!” Karin waved to Sasuke.

 

“I think that pretty girl had a little crush on you,” Mikoto teased.

 

“I-“

 

“Hn,” Fugaku interrupted him, stuffing his hands inside his trouser pockets. “Nothing special. You’ll find a nicer one in the Ivy Leagues.”

 

Mikoto shushed his father as they made their way up the narrow and creaky staircase, into a part of the restaurant that wasn’t as crowded and most likely reserved for meetings and formal dinners. Sasuke glanced around at the wooden tables as he realized that there was no way to tell if they were numbered. 

 

Sasuke turned to ask his mother if she’d seen Naruto’s family, only having time to register a mop of blond hair as he was enveloped in one constricting bear hug, barely having time to shove Naruto off of him before he released him. 

 

“Sasuke!” Naruto grinned, only hovering a few inches away from his face. Sasuke was, admittedly, _stunned_ by the proximity of Naruto. “See? ‘M not racist. I’ve got roots, too!” 

 

He blinked as Naruto gave the same treatment to his mother, albeit a weaker hug, but with the same amount of enthusiasm. Mikoto laughed as she patted the taller boy on the back, smoothing down his T-shirt. Naruto calmed down enough to shake his father’s hand and endure the scrutinizing stare that his father used day to day.

 

“Ah, I told him to stay seated,” Naruto’s father said to Sasuke’s left, once again surprising him with their identical looks. He was taller and wore a button-down shirt and slacks, most likely having just left his office.

 

“You must be Sasuke,” he said, taking Sasuke’s hand in a firm grip. “You can call me either Naruto’s dad or Minato. They’re both fine!” he grinned.

 

“Sasuke Uchiha,” he replied, shaking the man’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

 

“This is Sasuke?” A woman who resembled Karin with her waist length, fiery red hair said to Sasuke’s other side, a friendly smile on her face. She pulled him into a bone-crushing hug and rocked him side to side a bit, patting him roughly on the back.

 

“Don’t listen to Minato’s bad jokes,” she pulled away from him, her stormy blue eyes sparkling with mirth. “Call me Kushina.”

 

“Hi,” he choked out, taking in a large breath that Kushina had squeezed out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you-“

 

“You don’t have to be so formal,” Kushina rubbed his shoulder and reached up to fix a hair that she’d ruffled. “Go sit down! We’ll give you a little time to order.”

 

Sasuke was not coaxed, but rather roughly pushed in the direction of the table that Naruto was sitting at. He glanced behind him as their parents shook each others’ hands.

 

“Your dad is scary,” Naruto whispered as Sasuke sat down next to him, scooting his chair in.

 

“That’s the way he always is,” he grumbled back, glancing down at the menu on the table. 

 

“Look how pretty our moms are!” he tapped the inside of Sasuke’s shoulder a few times, watching them as they chatted for a few seconds.

 

“I know,” Sasuke agreed, a bit of pride dripping into his voice. “Karin looks like your mom.”

 

“‘Cause they’ve got red hair?” Naruto rested his cheek on his hand and turned to Sasuke, making his face just a few inches away from his again. “So does my nana.” 

 

Their parents came over to the table, seating themselves across from each other so that Naruto and Sasuke were excluded. Naruto protested it for a few moments, but with a telling and lethal smile from his mother, he quieted down.

 

“You know they’re gonna talk shit about us?” he whispered to Sasuke.

 

“They wouldn’t do that,” Sasuke rolled his eyes, stirring his water with his straw. “But I know they’re gonna tell embarrassing stories.”

 

Naruto raised his eyebrows, a mischievous smile coming across his lips. “Yeah? I think I’d like to hear those. If I had a pass, I wouldn’t let my parents tell yours about the period where I wanted to be a cat. I’d just listen to your bad stories.”

 

Sasuke smirked, looking up from his menu. “You just told me about the time you wanted to be a cat.” 

 

Naruto spluttered for a moment and had the grace to look embarrassed, but in the end, he laughed brightly and shook his head. “You know, you’re gonna be a really good lawyer. ‘Cause you listen to what I say really carefully.”

 

“Maybe, but I doubt anyone would forget a detail like that.”

 

“Agh!” Naruto scrunched his nose up, turning to Sasuke’s menu. “Just order whatever the hell you’re gonna eat.”

 

Another warning glare from Kushina that Sasuke could feel the intensity of from where he sat. 

 

Naruto harrumphed and sank a bit lower into his seat. “Do you like sushi?”

 

“Yes,” Sasuke said, and if he were to be honest, his mother often had to drag him away from restaurants when they had fresh sushi. 

 

“We have really good smoked salmon and sashimi,” Naruto said quietly, tapping his chin. “I dunno what I want today. Maybe I’ll get dumplings… just order whatever you want. It’s all free anyway.” 

 

“You own the restaurant. Why don’t you order everything you want?”

 

“I would,” Naruto sounded frustrated. “But they’re really busy and it doesn’t mix well in the first place. I think I’ll get a bunch of maki.” 

 

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask him how the onigiri was, but with the use of his name across the table, both he and Naruto’s heads swung around to their parents.

 

As if they sensed their curiosity, he and Naruto’s parents turned to meet their stares. Nothing was said for a few moments before Minato chuckled.

  
“We’re not saying anything _bad,”_ Kushina said. “You two should go sit at a different table so this doesn’t happen all night.” 

 

Expecting his mother to take his side, Sasuke felt defeated and betrayed when Mikoto hid a laugh behind her hand and agreed. 

 

So, like kicked puppies, he and Naruto rose from the table with their glasses and menus in hand and sat a few tables away from their parents.

 

“I can’t believe _we_ got kicked out,” Naruto crossed his arms and scowled at the condensation on his glass of soda. 

 

Sasuke chuckled as a waitress refilled their glasses and took their orders. “My mom does have a better sense of humor than you do.”

 

“Dammit, Sas,” Naruto glared at him for a few moments before it broke out into a fond grin, leaning across the table. With the way the dim lighting hit only one side of his face, Naruto’s eyes looked a much darker blue than their usual sky color. 

 

They chatted from everything and anything between Naruto’s cat and Sasuke’s boxes in his house, only ever being interrupted by their orders being brought to them and their glasses being refilled. He explained to Sasuke the odd stages in his life in which he’d thought that Kyuubi was an actual person, and when he discovered that he was a cat, Naruto wanted to be one as well. Sasuke shook his head and rolled his eyes throughout the ordeal, though he was muffling a few snorts here and there. 

 

Naruto had tried to pester the waiter into giving him wine, but the waiter only gave him a bland look and shook his head.

 

“It was worth a try,” Naruto flicked his finger against his Sprite. “I knew he wouldn’t gimme any, though.”

 

“So why try?” 

 

“Just to see what he does, I guess,” Naruto gave him a thoughtful look. “Now that I think about it, he might’ve thought if it was a test to see how flimsy he was or somethin’. If he gave me alcohol just ‘cause I’m the owner’s son, I could’ve told my parents. But that’s not what I meant to do.”

 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “That could be a smart method in the future.” 

 

“Yeah!” Naruto agreed, finishing off his seemingly infinite amount of maki. Sasuke had a feeling that he’d gone into the double digits, though.

 

“D’ya want any dessert?” Naruto asked, glancing over at their parents. “We’ve been here for a couple of hours. I wanna go home so we can sleep.” 

 

“I don’t like sweets,” Sasuke sighed and stretched his arms. 

 

“Ugh,” Naruto grumbled. “You’re one of _those_ people. I noticed you only ever eat healthy things and you’re not even drinkin’ soda. _Ugh.”_

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “It’s just the way I was raised. You’re going to have a heart attack by the time you’re twenty.”

 

Naruto snorted. “Am not. I just have a really fast metabolism. Y’know, with sports and all.”

 

“Too bad you got kicked out.”

 

“Hey!” he waved his fist at Sasuke. “God damn you. How dare you say that to me? I officially de-invite you to stay over.” 

 

Sasuke leant back in his chair, a smug smirk coming across his features. “I’m sorry…” he began, watching the look of appreciation that flickered on Naruto’s face. “That you can’t handle the truth.” 

 

Naruto gasped dramatically, raising his hand to rest on his chest. He sniggered at his own joke for a few seconds before jabbing his fork at Sasuke. “I’m gonna get ya for that one later, Uchiha! Just you watch me.” 

 

“I’m sure you will,” he drawled, folding his napkin into a triangle. 

 

They glanced over to their parents’ table as Naruto’s dad laughed loudly, a smug look on his own father’s face. 

 

“Hey,” Naruto attracted his attention back to him, dragging his thumb across the rim of his bottle. “You wanna go out onto the balcony to get some fresh air?” 

 

“Okay,” he agreed, standing with Naruto and leaving his glass behind. Naruto let their parents know where they were going with a motion of his hand towards the large glass doors on the opposite side of the room.

 

He weaved through the string of waiters and customers behind Naruto, following the olive colored shirt he was wearing. Naruto waited for him by the doors and took a key ring from his pocket, unlocking one of the doors and stepping outside.

 

Sasuke shut the door behind him, blinking a few times to get used to the brighter light outside. The balcony was a small, comfy area, having a few lightbulbs strung from the ceiling. A thin layer of mesh separated them from the harshness of the weather.

 

Naruto plopped down on a leather couch, sighing as he rested his head on the back of it. “This is where I like to come when my parents work really late.”

 

Sasuke went up to the thin layer of mesh, squinting so that he could make out the grassy area behind the restaurant. There was nothing or nobody there, just a large oak tree and an air conditioning unit. 

 

He strolled back over to the couch, sitting and tucking his leg underneath him. “I wonder what kind of shit our parents are talking.”

 

The corner of Naruto’s lip tilted up. “Probably the hard and runny kind.”

 

“You’re disgusting.”

 

“It’s true,” Naruto countered.

 

They sat in contemplative and comfortable silence for a few more moments, watching the last of the sun’s light diminish behind the skyline. Sasuke felt like he could do this for a long time. Like he could do it over and over again without getting bored, just because Naruto was by his side.

 

He bit the inside of his cheek. “Naruto…” he started, clearing his throat. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”

 

Naruto looked over at him in surprise, though it turned into a look that all but said _Why would you ask such a stupid question?_ He smiled at Sasuke, though, and tilted his head slightly. “Because you’re my friend.” 

 

Sasuke stared at him, half shocked and half irritated. Shocked because he was reminded that Naruto was the closest thing to a friend he’d ever had outside of his family, and irritated because _he knew it was true._

 

Sasuke didn’t know what overcame him. He didn’t know why he felt the urge to, but… maybe it was because Naruto had rubbed off on him during the short amount of days they had gotten to know each other. Maybe his blunt impulsivity had managed to chafe on Sasuke, and he’d caught it. 

 

But, even though he knew it was wild to take such a risk, even though he knew Naruto hadn’t said anything in regards to his own sexuality, Sasuke leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed him because he felt that their friendship was just a bit confusing and he was curious to figure it out. He moved his lips against Naruto’s because, no matter how much he denied it, there was always that underlying acknowledgement that Naruto was good looking across the world and back. Sasuke almost gasped when Naruto responded because Naruto genuinely _cared_ about where he was going and where he was currently at.

 

Sasuke gripped Naruto’s shoulder as their lips stuck together as they moved against each other because he _wanted_ to. Because Naruto’s lips were soft and warm and full and it felt good. He’d never been this close and rawly intimate with another person before, and this time, with Naruto… it felt inexplicably _right._

 

Naruto broke the kiss before it got too hungry and tightened his hold on the hair at the nape of Sasuke’s neck, staring into his eyes with an intensity that nearly made him dizzy. His breath was heavy against Sasuke’s lips. “You…”

 

They broke apart yet again when the balcony door opened, Naruto’s mother peeking in. “Are you guys ready to go home?”

 

Naruto snorted next to him. “Heck yeah I am!”

  
Sasuke stood from his seat and followed his friend out the door, back into the restaurant whose business was quieting down. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a very delicate part of the story. Sorry I gave the restaurant such a boring name. It would have been cheesy if I called it The Rasengan or some shit like that. Anyway. Questions, thoughts, concerns… give me them. And kudos. Spoil your author, please.


	4. Kyuubi

They parted their ways at the front of the restaurant, where he and Naruto’s parents took a few more minutes to converse while Sasuke switched his duffel bag to Naruto’s parents’ car. It seemed like the temperature was dropping by the minute, and the cold breeze passing through every few moments wasn’t helping the circumstances. 

 

At last, Sasuke watched their mothers part with a tight hug and their fathers with a firm handshake. It seemed like Naruto’s and his mother had switched emails so they could share photos and do their infamous “shit talking”. 

 

Naruto’s father pulled him aside at the last minute, out of sight from his son.

 

“Sasuke,” he started, a warm smile coming onto his face. Minato brushed some of the stray pieces of blond hair out of his face. “I just wanted to thank you for tutoring my son. It’s a shame that had to happen to his grade, but… I’m certain that it would have gone up significantly with your help.”

 

Sasuke nodded, inclining his head respectfully. “You’re welcome. It really was no problem.” 

 

Minato chuckled and scratched the back of his head, a mannerism that startlingly reminded him of Naruto. “You’re a dynamic duo. Who knows what buildings you could blow up if you help each other study in the future?” 

 

The corner of his lip tilted up. “Maybe one of them would be the school.”

 

Minato laughed, quietly but firmly. He set a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you. I’d love to stay around a bit longer, but I have to stay at the restaurant to make sure my employees don’t burn it down,” he joked. “Anyway. Good night, Sasuke. Make yourself at home and please don’t let Naruto eat all of the snacks.”

 

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep him occupied,” Sasuke promised.

 

The man squeezed his shoulder. “It’s good he has a friend like you,” Minato said, releasing his shoulder and stepping back. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

 

He raised his hand in a wave to Minato, watching him step back into the restaurant and immediately submerge into his work. Sasuke could see where Naruto got his restlessness from… with all of the constant going back and forth between Namikaze’s and his home, from sports to school… it must have been exhausting. But it wasn’t enough to wear the other out. It evidently made Naruto want to have things done quickly, but it also seemed immensely distracting.

 

Sasuke turned away to see Naruto leaning against his parents’ SUV with his arms crossed, shivering. He approached the other calmly, standing next to him and watching his parents’ car drive away.

 

Kushina turned from waving at his parents. She pulled her coat tighter around herself, scowling with the frigid wind. Once she caught sight of the two of them with their arms wrapped around themselves and huddled together, she rolled her eyes. 

 

“Didn’t I tell you to bring a jacket?” Naruto’s mother scolded him, cuffing him lightly on the back of the head. 

 

He rubbed the spot where she’d caught him and scrunched his nose. “It’s not all that cold,” Naruto grumbled, adamancy dripping from his voice. 

 

“My son,” Kushina scoffed, shaking her head. “Ugh. Let’s go home before it gets even colder.”

 

The car clicked loudly when she unlocked it. Sasuke let Naruto push him out of the way so he could get inside first, following behind him and shutting the door. The vehicle swayed slightly with their weight and the added one of Kushina sliding into the driver’s seat. 

 

A pine air freshener dangled by his ear that no longer held any scent. He buckled his seatbelt and glanced over to Naruto, who was busy fishing for something in his pocket. 

 

“We only live a couple of minutes away,” Kushina called from the front seat, backing out of the parking lot. “Sit tight.” 

 

“The neighbors’ll probably try to see what’s goin’ on,” Naruto told him, stuffing his feet under the seat in front of him. “Like they always do.”

 

“I have a feeling you’d be the exact same way,” Sasuke pointed out.

 

“He’s right,” Kushina agreed, grinning at them through the rearview mirror. “You’d be a nosy neighbor, too, Naruto.”

 

“Mom,” he whined. “You’re supposed to be on my side. Sasuke bullies me enough at school. I don’t need you doin’ that too.” 

 

“Bullies?” Sasuke and Kushina questioned at the same time. 

 

“Sasuke doesn’t seem like a bully,” she commented. She turned slightly in her seat to look at him. “Your mother says you don’t bother a fly. How can that be?” 

 

“Oh, _boy,”_ Naruto grumbled under his breath, sinking lower into his seat.

 

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. “You’re exaggerating,” he told Naruto. “Just because you hear things you don’t want to hear doesn’t mean it’s bullying. It’s called the truth.”

 

“Just you see, mom. Wait ’til you catch him red-handed! Then he’ll have no excuse as to why he’s so cold and mean as he is.” 

 

“I can’t believe that for one bit,” Kushina said, appalled. “You’re such a nice boy, Sasuke. I hope Naruto isn’t a bad influence on you,” she snickered. 

 

Naruto growled and crossed his arms defensively. He glared at Sasuke across the seat separating them. “You’re such a mama’s boy,” he mumbled quietly enough for only him to hear.

 

Sasuke shrugged, glancing out the window. “You are, too.”

 

They entered a neighborhood with houses that all looked alike, made out of red bricks with leaf-littered lawns and glass doors. Kushina drove down to the near end of the neighborhood before they turned into a two-car driveway in front of a small, single-story house.

 

Sasuke watched a few neighborhood cats scuttle away when the car pulled into the driveway. Kushina pulled the key out of ignition and they were all left in the dark for a few moments.

 

“Home,” she sang, opening her door and slamming it closed hard enough to make the whole car shake.

 

Naruto groaned lazily and got out of the car as well, Sasuke following closely behind. He grabbed his bag from the back of the car and walked across the lawn with Naruto, leaves crunching loudly beneath their feet.

 

“Are you doing that on purpose?” he asked Naruto.

  
“Doin’ what?” he turned, halting in his pace a bit. 

 

“Stepping on the biggest leaves so you can be louder,” he replied. “It’s annoying.” 

 

“You like to blame a lot of things on me,” Naruto noted, though he didn’t sound upset at all. “Even for the forces of nature beneath our feet.” 

 

They reached the front porch, the lights flicking on automatically. Kushina was already searching for the correct key on her keyring, jamming it into the doorknob as soon as she found it. The orange reef hanging from the door swung dangerously when she pushed the door open, flicking the light on beside her. 

 

“Leave your shoes by the door, boys,” she called.

 

He stepped in behind Naruto, overwhelmed by the amount of things that couldn’t be considered clutter but definitely could be classified as busy. It smelt lightly of apples and cinnamon. Naruto bent over to tug off his shoes while Sasuke glanced around and toed his own off, taking in the room around him. 

 

Of course, it was a bit warmer than Sasuke’s own home. There was still boxes that needed to be sorted through and thrown away, furniture bought and to be assembled. But even his mother’s interior designs couldn’t quite catch _cozy_ as effortlessly as Naruto’s house appeared. Naruto’s home was all warm colors and the sentimental wear in furniture, while his own home stayed in neutral and dark colors and the furniture was often switched out for more modern pieces. It wasn’t any less of a home than Naruto’s, but… here certainly felt a bit more welcoming.

 

There was white carpets, of course, dark wood cabinets in the kitchen with potted plants resting on top of them. He turned to study the living room, with brown leather couches and a classic fireplace. Above the mantle there were many photos of family and friends, rewards that the restaurant had received among others. 

 

“Are you two still hungry?” Kushina asked, peeking her head out from the kitchen. “You could order a pizza if you are.”

 

“No thank you,” Sasuke said.

 

“I’m fine for a few more hours,” Naruto drawled.

 

Kushina rolled her eyes. “You’re like a bottomless pit,” she teased, strolling into the living room. “I’m going to bed, boys. Naruto should know what to do if something goes wrong. Goodnight.”

 

“‘Night, mom,” he called, watching as she disappeared down the hallway. “C’mon,” Naruto beckoned, scratching at his arm. 

 

Sasuke looked around as they passed through the living room - at the candles by the television and a cat toy resting on the coffee table. The carpet was plush underneath his feet as they moved into the wide hallway, making an immediate right turn into Naruto’s room. 

 

“Ta da!” he called out, flicking the light on and bounding forward to land on his bed with a loud creak. He bounced a couple of times before rolling over to cover his eyes with a forearm.

 

Sasuke lowered his bag to the ground and glanced around, wondering if it really was possible to make a home so quickly in just two years. Naruto had multiple photos taped above his desk, most of which consisted of their classmates. A good amount of them were with Karin, though. Next to his desk was a bookshelf filled with various sports trophies and medals with a few leisure books, a couple of dictionaries and a copy of _Grey’s Anatomy_. A TV and an Xbox’s wires were messily tangled together.

 

He glanced back at Naruto, who may or may not have fallen asleep on his unmade bed. He was surprised to see a new presence in the room, staring right at him with curious golden eyes. 

 

“Kyuubi,” Naruto said quietly, pulling him onto his chest and brushing his hand through long, red fur. The cat growled deeply in his chest but didn’t resist the petting, his tail swishing against Naruto’s stomach.

 

“Meet Sasuke,” he finished, sitting up so that Kyuubi fell into his lap. He crossed his legs and smiled up at Sasuke. “This is Kyuubi.”

 

Sasuke walked over to the bed, standing in front of Naruto. “Hello,” he greeted, reaching out to run a couple of his fingers over Kyuubi’s head. The cat stared up at him as he scratched him a bit more boldly, right behind the ear. “He’s huge.”

 

“He’s a fatass,” Naruto said fondly, patting the cat on its stomach. “Eats everything in sight.”

 

“No wonder he’s in the perpetual bad mood you told me about,” Sasuke said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he has diabetes.”

  
“Well, he doesn’t. And he’s not growling,” Naruto noted, patting the spot next to him on his bed. “I think he might like you. He hates the guts outta everyone else, though.”

 

Sasuke seated himself and they fell onto their backs together, jolting the cat on Naruto’s lap.

 

Kyuubi flattened his ears against his head and padded over to the opposite side of the bed, digging his claws into the duvet and curling up into a tight ball. Fight though he might have, Sasuke could hear the quiet purring coming from the cat. They laid in silence for a few moments, reveling in the warmth that the house provided. 

 

“Sasuke,” the other said quietly, tugging the sheets between them. “Why did you kiss me?” 

 

He blinked up at the ceiling fan and frowned. “I don’t have anything to say.”

 

“Yeah you do,” Naruto muttered, moving his hand to play with the hem of his shirt. “You wanna be a lawyer. You always have something to say. Even if it’s just to pick a fight.” 

 

Sasuke stayed silent, refusing to give in to the urge to squirm and fiddle a bit like Naruto was. His… crush had taken over for a moment back then. Back on the couch, Sasuke had felt a pull towards Naruto, one that he couldn’t resist. It was strong and undeniable, fiery in its persistency. His hands itched to play with the sheets or push his fingers together. A small part of him wanted to bob his leg or even roll over, but Naruto was waiting for an _answer._

 

“You know, you like to make things a lot more awkward than they need to be. So you just did it for a kick?” he questioned. “Right in my parents’ own restaurant? Like it didn’t _mean_ anything?”

 

“What is it supposed to mean?” Sasuke snapped, turning over to face him. “It was just a heat of the moment thing. So what that I got caught up in it… you’d do the same thing.” 

 

“To a friend?” Naruto hissed, pushing himself up on his elbow to glare down at Sasuke. “Especially one that’s the same gender. Yeah, Sasuke, I totally get it. I know you’re the kind of lone wolf guy ‘cause you think you’re better than everyone else, but this is seriously so fucking _transparent_ of you-“ 

 

“Why the fuck is it bothering you so much?” he growled, supporting himself on an elbow so that his face was level with Naruto’s. It was long overdue to drop his passive attitude, his wary politeness due to his presence in Naruto’s home. But something about the other’s attitude towards their kiss rubbed him the wrong way the same as a pebble in a shoe did.

 

“Is it because it picks at your stupid masculinity? Because if we’re bringing that into the picture, you’re the one who cried over his mother not listening to him-“

 

“Shut the fuck up!” Naruto spat, shoving his shoulder and pinning him down onto the bed with both of his hands on Sasuke’s shoulders. Naruto shook him slightly. “I came to _you_ because I trust you! I thought that you wouldn’t make fun of my grade because that’s none of your business, and you wouldn’t laugh if I cried. You wouldn’t understand, Sasuke. This is on _my_ report card. I can’t play sports or join any kind of club for the rest of the damn year. Colleges are gonna see this, they’re gonna drop me ‘cause of it, and it’s _not even my fault!_ So stop dragging a bunch of other things into this and just answer my question! _”_  

 

Sasuke pressed his lips into a thin line and attempted to push Naruto off. He didn’t budge. “If you have a problem with my sexuality,” he stated quietly, “Then we can arrange for someone to pick me up so I don’t have to deal with your hate crimes.” 

 

“Sasuke, shut _up!”_ Naruto’s eyes had gone slightly glassy, and he shook him roughly again. It made Sasuke’s neck pop. “I never said anything about that! I don’t care about who you like. You’re just dragging a bunch of things into this so you can avoid answering my question.” 

 

Sasuke closed his eyes. “You want to know a lot of things. Things that I don’t even know.”

 

He felt a pressure against his forehead, not textured enough to be a hand, and not soft enough to be a pillow. It was warm, and a nose pressed lightly against his. Naruto’s forehead. 

 

“Just admit that you like me,” Naruto whispered, his hands loosening on Sasuke’s shoulders. 

 

Sasuke’s eyes popped open, a mistake as he quickly learned. Naruto was _looking_ at him again, as if he were a warm and loving and open person. Sasuke struggled from under Naruto and shoved at his stomach, shoulders, face—anything to get Naruto _away_ from him, to get those piercing blue eyes far, _far_ away. 

 

Naruto might have risen off of him once or twice, but never did he give up his spot to hover above him. He held onto Sasuke’s shoulders faithfully and shut his eyes while he took the light hits and pushes, never removing his forehead from Sasuke’s. 

 

“You’re a trust kind of person, Sasuke,” he said quietly, grunting when Sasuke kneed him in the thigh. “So am I. It’s just a lot easier for me, and I think I trusted you from day one when you actually seemed pretty thankful to hang out with me.”

 

Sasuke stopped struggling and glared at the red, swishing tail he could see from the corner of his eye. He was panting and not necessarily angry—annoyed that he’d been picked apart right before his own eyes and laid vulnerable. It wasn’t as if Naruto wasn’t trustworthy; far from it, at that, and it was nearly embarrassing to realize how short of a time it had taken for Sasuke to warm up to him. It was ridiculous to think about how he already meant _so much_. 

 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Naruto added. “I’ve just gotta know…” 

 

An impalpable tension built between them as Sasuke’s pulse picked up. Naruto waited above him, patient and understanding and maybe the slightest bit upset. He tore his eyes away from Kyuubi’s tail and brought them towards Naruto.  
  
Sasuke had meant to stare at his bare collarbone, he really did; but he’d miscalculated and his eyes had ended up on Naruto’s chin, where they drifted to his full lips, in which he’d startled himself and his sight had snapped up to fierce blue eyes. 

 

The rolling tension in between them was enough to have Sasuke’s hands fist in the sheets on either side of him while Naruto searched his eyes for any kind of affliction. His sight had inevitably been drawn back to Naruto’s lips once he saw that look of _want_ in his eyes, and it was like a coil in between them had snapped, or a timer had reached zero. 

 

He didn’t resist once Naruto had leant in and pressed his lips against his carefully, tentatively at first. It was searching and calculating, a simple question that asked if this was okay. But Sasuke would have none of it. The strain between them had riled him up and set his attitude in the same direction—he dug his fingers into Naruto’s forearm, a silent demand to pick things up.

 

Like their argument, it turned simmering and angry. There was no time for Sasuke to gather his thoughts once their lips smashed together, hints of teeth and tongue. He threaded his fingers into Naruto’s hair as the other cupped his cheek in a hand, opening their mouths together to press their tongues one another and keep a warning thumb on his cheekbone. 

 

It was hot, and so was Naruto’s panting breaths into his mouth, so were his quickly swelling lips with all the nips and tugs he’d endured. Sasuke grunted as the kiss deepened again and tilted his head back to let Naruto in deeper, further. 

 

He was almost frightened of the fact that once he had started, he wanted more—of Naruto, of his kissing, of _everything._ Another quiet grunt from him once a clacking of their teeth had stolen his breath away and the kiss slowed down, compassionate and warm and telling a story of its own. The firm thumb on his cheekbone moved to stroke all the way across his cheek to his earlobe. Sasuke moved his lips with Naruto’s, sensually and slowly and sucking every few moments. 

 

Something warm settled into his chest at the same time Naruto’s hand cupped his other cheek, and he tightened his fingers in thick blond hair. Because of his sheer inexperience, warmth had already settled into other areas of his body other than his chest, and he broke the kiss with a quiet smack. 

 

Sasuke willed away the flush in his cheeks as Naruto’s eyes slowly slid open, burning intensely and studying his face. He did his best to slow his quick breathing and to rid the dazed look from his face.

 

He studied the other, looking for any sign of anger or confusion. Naruto still looked stubborn and now pleased, if the flush on his cheeks was any suggestion. 

 

“There,” he said quietly, leaning off of Sasuke so that he could sit up. 

 

Sasuke regarded him carefully, bringing his foot onto the bed so that he could tuck it into his other thigh. “What?” 

 

“We can go off from there, okay?” Naruto continued, straightening his shirt and crossing his legs. “No hesitation.”

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the other, rolling the hem of his jean leg into a cuff. After a few moments, he sighed loudly and nodded. “No hesitation,” he echoed. 

 

Naruto grinned at him, rocking back on the bed. “Okay.” 

 

Sasuke nodded again glanced away. He looked down to his jeans, where he brushed away some long cat hairs and watched them as they floated away. 

 

“Oh yeah,” the other mumbled. “You’re wearing dark clothes. You wanna change so you don’t get any more hair on you? My bathroom’s right across the hall.” 

 

Sasuke stood up and stretched. “I will,” he said, heading over to his bag to grab an old and faded Flaming Lips shirt and a pair of sweatpants. 

 

“Wanna play some video games when you get back?” Naruto asked, pointing towards his TV.

 

Sasuke hesitated. “…We’ll see what you have.” 

 

“What,” he called back, a playful smile on his face. “Call of Duty isn’t good enough for you?”

 

“It’s mediocre,” he replied as he crossed the hall.

 

Sasuke opened the door he found directly across the hall and, sure enough, he found Naruto’s disorganized bathroom. He kicked a towel that had been blocking the door from opening and turned the light on, blinking when it was much brighter than the one in Naruto’s room. 

 

He changed quickly, folding the clothes he’d worn neatly. Sasuke caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and paused—his cheeks were still slightly flushed and his lips still red, his hair in disarray. He combed a hand through his hair and pressed cold water against his mouth before exiting the bathroom.

 

Sasuke returned to find Naruto sitting on the floor, the Xbox on while he sorted through some games.

 

“C’mere,” the other said, making a little pile of games. “These are the ones that aren’t stupid.”

 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “I notice that your other pile is pretty big. Why do you have so many stupid games?”

 

“‘Cause they’re family games,” Naruto countered. “Sometimes my parents wanna play, and whenever Karin comes over, she always wants to play horror games. I don’t like them so they’re in the stupid pile with all the Just Dances.” 

 

Sasuke chuckled, picking up the stack of five or so games and sorting through them. “Are you sure you’re not scared of them?” 

 

Naruto scowled. “Some of them can give people heart attacks. Just pick a game, Sasuke.”

 

He leaned forward to put the second Call of Duty into the gaming dock, narrowing his eyes at Naruto. 

 

The other smiled innocently at him. “Just t’warn you, I kill at this game.”

 

“The objective _is_ to kill.” 

 

“You know what I mean,” Naruto purred, picking up a controller and handing it to Sasuke. 

* * *

“You _suck,”_ Naruto told him, nudging him with his elbow.

 

“You’re not any better,” he replied, frustrated. “You’re the one who said that you were good.” 

 

Naruto sucked in a sharp breath as a zombie closed in on him and blood splattered on his side of the screen. “Sasukeeee! Come cover me!”

 

“No,” he mumbled. “I’m trying to unlock the other building. You’re just attracting a whole herd of them.”

 

“If you don’t help me out, you’re gonna have to come and revive me,” Naruto bargained, slamming his fingers down on the controller. 

 

Sasuke sighed. “It’s too late,” he pointed out, watching as a notification popped up for him to go and heal Naruto’s character. “I’m letting you die.”

 

“No!” Naruto wailed, doing his best to shoot at the undead surrounding him. “We came so far, Sasuke!” 

 

“It’s time,” he said quietly, taking his thumbs off of his controller and letting a herd overtake him. He watched as a _Game Over_ came onto the screen.

 

Naruto groaned loudly and fell onto his back, slamming his fist against the floor. “That took so long!”

 

“Shut up,” Sasuke advised. “You’re going to wake up your mom.”

 

“I don’t care,” Naruto sobbed rolling over and burying his face into the carpet. “That was the highest level I’ve ever gotten to.” 

 

“It’s just a game,” he said haughtily, taking them to the home menu. Sasuke reached forward to shut the system off. “Enough of your brain cells rotting away.”

 

Naruto whined once more and rolled over again, resting his arm on his stomach. He sighed loudly. “Fine, fine. You hungry? It’s still pretty early.”

 

Sasuke took his phone from his pocket. “Naruto,” he chided. “It’s one in the morning.”

 

That gave the other pause. “Really?” 

 

“Yes.” 

  
“Eh,” he shrugged. “It’s early to me. Do you wanna just watch a movie until we fall asleep?”

 

Sasuke rubbed his eyes. “Sure.”

 

He stood up and walked away—at least, until Naruto grabbed his ankle and demanded for Sasuke to help him up. Sasuke rolled his eyes and yanked him up by the shoulder, ignoring his complaints about roughhousing. 

  
Naruto glared at him and snatched the TV remote off his nightstand, rubbing a sleeping Kyuubi on the head. The cat didn’t rouse at all, remaining curled up and dead to the world.

 

“He’s not as evil as you said he was,” Sasuke noted.

 

“I think it’s cause he likes you,” said Naruto. “Usually when I pick him up and stuff he’s growlin’ and scratching. He didn’t put up much of a fuss tonight, and he’s actually staying here.”

 

Sasuke tilted his head at the snoozing cat. “Maybe he’s tired of your hyperactivity. Cats slow down once they get older, too.”

 

“Nah,” Naruto chuckled, scrolling through channels as he came over to the bed. “He came out of the womb growling, I swear.”

 

Sasuke untucked the sheets while Naruto set a couple of pillows up for them. “You’ve had him since he was a kitten?”

 

“Yeah!” A small smile came onto Naruto’s face at the memory. He tossed the remote on the bed to stick his hand in his pocket and take out his phone, quickly looking for a picture.

 

“It’s a picture of a picture, ‘cause you know… he’s nine years old,” Naruto said pleasantly, showing him a picture of Kyuubi no less than the size of his palm. His hair was always long, so thin that it was nearly transparent. He looked much more lighter in color than he currently did.

 

Sasuke’s lip quirked up at the tiny, napping kitten. “Very charming.”

 

Naruto laughed through his nose. He tossed him the remote before moving to the other side of the room. “You go pick a movie. I’m gonna change into my pajamas.” 

 

Sasuke barely caught it, watching as Naruto rifled through one of the drawers of his dresser and left the room. 

 

He crawled into Naruto’s bed, scrolling through the channels for a little while before finally settling on Kill Bill. It was halfway through showing, but it would show again after. 

 

Sasuke checked his phone for any texts. A missed call from a number he didn’t recognize, a text from Itachi asking him if he was okay, a hello message from his cousin Shisui, and a photo from his mother. It was of Itachi sitting on his bed with a thermometer in his mouth, obviously a candid shot. He was looking towards a different corner of the room. 

 

_It’s that time of year again!_ His mother had sent along with it. Sasuke chuckled and decided not to reply to the message, instead choosing to ask Itachi if their mother was doing a good job of taking care of him.

 

_She’s doing a very nice and generous job,_ Itachi replied. _Now that you’re gone, mom has someone else to fawn over._

 

Sasuke snorted and began to type out a reply, only to be interrupted by another message from Itachi.

 

_Why aren’t you asleep? Go to bed._

 

He realized that it was nearing two o’clock in the morning and ignored the message, setting his phone on the nightstand. Sasuke settled back against the pillows that Naruto had propped up for them, doing his best to catch up with the plot of the movie. 

 

“What’re we watching?” Naruto asked from the doorway, entering to stand directly in front of the television.  
  
Sasuke made a shooing motion with his hand. “Kill Bill.” 

 

“Are you allowed to watch this?” he questioned, stumbling over the pile of games he’d made earlier. “Dammit.”

 

“I should be asking you that.” 

 

Naruto slid into the opposite side of the bed, taking one of his extra pillows and stuffing it in between them. He threw an arm around it and rested his head on it, near Sasuke’s hip. “A barrier for when we go to bed. I get really cuddly.”

 

Sasuke grunted, watching a fist fight onscreen. “Turn it down so we don’t wake your mom up.” 

 

“You’re thinkin’ about my mom a lot,” Naruto mumbled, though he grabbed the remote and turned the volume down significantly. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. She wouldn’t wake up if there was an earthquake.”

 

“Mine wakes up if you drop a pin,” Sasuke murmured.

 

“If you wake up before me, you’re gonna have to beat me up if you want to wake me up,” Naruto said, tugging at the pillowcase. “I’m really tired.”

 

“Then go to sleep right now,” he said quietly, resting his hand near Naruto’s face. “Nothing’s stopping you.”

 

“Nothing but this awesome movie and a little more time with you.”

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes down at the other, who was staring innocently up at him. He pressed his hand over Naruto’s eyes. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

 

Naruto sighed and dug his head into his pillow, making himself comfortable. Sasuke sank down onto the bed, too, lying on his back so that he wouldn’t block Naruto’s view of the television. 

 

Now that he thought about it, it was difficult _not_ to fall asleep. With Kyuubi’s stomach rising and falling slowly at the foot of the bed, Naruto’s eyes fluttering, and his well-worn orange sheets… Sasuke’s eyes were quickly heavy. It usually took him a good thirty minutes for him to fall asleep, but he thought he might just do so in ten.

 

Sasuke drifted off only to startle awake when Naruto rested his head on his shoulder in his sleep. He lifted his head and gently pushed Naruto to his side of the bed, watching as the other wrapped an arm around a poor pillow and squeezed it to his body. 

 

Sasuke leant over him and grabbed the remote, shutting the TV off. He made sure the pillow was secure in Naruto’s arms to ensure that Naruto wouldn’t try to cuddle him in the middle of the night. He checked the time, making a note that he had fallen asleep at two fifteen, and settled on his side.

* * *

Sasuke only woke up because someone was _shaking_ him, saying his name over and over again.

 

“What, what?” he wrenched his eyes open. For a few moments, he thought he was in his own room, and the morning had been just like the previous one, with Itachi struggling to wake him up. Sasuke took in the orange, rumpled sheets and pictures on the wall.

 

“Wake up!” Naruto whined, pulling him onto his back. He hovered over Sasuke once again, a frustrated scowl on his face. “You sleep too much.”

 

Sasuke sat up and smacked the other’s hands away, running a hand over his face. “I don’t sleep enough,” he grumbled.

 

“You scared my mom,” he continued. “She thought I strangled you to death in your sleep or somethin’.”

 

Sasuke sighed loudly and pushed the sheets off of himself, untwisting his pant leg. “What time is it?”

 

“Twelve thirty,” Naruto replied, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. “‘Cause of you, we have to fend for ourselves.”

 

“Whatever,” Sasuke muttered, pushing at Naruto’s stomach. “How long have you been up?” 

 

“Since nine.” 

 

“Why don’t you sleep in?”

 

“I _did_ sleep in. But I only need eight hours of sleep max. How long do you usually sleep?”

 

“If my family lets me,” Sasuke used his fingers to count. “Around fourteen.”

 

“What the fuck?” Naruto exclaimed. “That’s literally over half the day. And you don’t even do anything yet! Once you start track, you’re gonna be falling asleep in class.”

 

“I don’t fall asleep in school,” said Sasuke. He stood up and stretched, letting his back and neck pop. “And it’s exhausting to be around you.”

 

Naruto lifted his palms from his ears, regarding Sasuke wearily. “Are you done popping all your bones?” 

 

“Why,” he demanded. “You don’t like it?”

 

Sasuke raised his hands and popped all of his knuckles and fingers— _loudly_ —while Naruto yelled and fell back on the bed. He popped his wrists for good measure, too. 

 

“You better warn me in the future when you do that,” Naruto growled. “Now that you’ve done all your freaky shit, can we eat something?” 

 

Sasuke sighed, leaning over Naruto and staring directly into his face like the other had done so many times already. “What do you have in mind?”

 

“Can you cook?” 

 

“I can boil eggs.” 

 

Naruto sniffed. “You wanna just order a pizza?”

 

“Okay. I want pepperoni.” 

 

“Yes, dear,” Naruto murmured, sitting up. “You wanna pull a prank on the pizza guy once he gets here?”

 

“How old are you?” Sasuke asked, picking up his phone from the bedside table. He searched the number of the closest pizza place. 

 

“Seventeen,” said Naruto. “How old are you? Eighty? ‘Cause I think your testosterone levels are low. That’s why you’re so damn cranky all the time.” 

 

“They’re perfectly fine,” he mumbled. “Here.”

 

Naruto took his phone from his hand and stood up, leading him out of his room. “Pizza, pizza,” he chanted.

 

“Just don’t shatter mine like you did to yours,” Sasuke advised. “You’ll pay for it if you do.” 

 

“Not even the pricelessness of our friendship can cover the expenses of your phone?” the other quipped, leaning against the hall doorway. He squinted at the screen as he dialed the number. 

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leant across the hall from Naruto as he ordered their pizza, giving the restaurant his address. Naruto hung up and handed Sasuke’s phone back to him, knocking his head lightly against the wall.

 

Sasuke calmly stuffed his hands into his pockets and regarded Naruto as the other stared at him. “Yes?”

 

Naruto blinked a couple of times. “Nothin’,” he said. 

 

They waited about twenty minutes for their pizza to arrive, and when it did, Naruto still pleaded with him to play a prank on the delivery man. Sasuke still turned him down over and over again and answered the door himself, leaving the man a generous tip with Naruto’s money.

 

“You’re so boring,” Naruto dragged out as he walked back into the kitchen, holding the box of pizza. 

 

Sasuke ignored him. “You get half.”

 

“But I paid for all of it!”

 

_“Half.”_

 

The other gave a deep sigh. “Fine.” 

 

Naruto took the box from him and set it on the dining room table, opening it to let it cool off. “Wow. It feels like it’s on fire.”

 

Sasuke leant on the table, pulling his phone from his pocket to answer a text from his mother. She’d asked him if it was okay to pick him up around three, and he’d responded yes.

 

Naruto poked at the skin that was left bared where his shirt had ridden up. “Pasty.”

 

“My condolences if it bothers you,” he drawled, grabbing a slice from the box. “I don’t tan.” 

 

“There’s a lot of people like that,” said Naruto, picking up the neighboring piece. “Ah. Burns.” 

 

Sasuke waited for his slice to cool off before daring to take a bite. “I’m getting picked up at three.”

 

Naruto chewed thoughtfully on a piece of pepperoni. “Wouldn’t this be a lot cooler if we knew how to drive?”  


“I moved right in the middle of my driver’s ed classes,” Sasuke said, shifting his weight to one foot. “Now I’ll take a break.”

 

“I never had enough time to take them,” Naruto told him, stretching some of the cheese from his pizza. “I guess I do now. Though it kinda makes me anxious.”

 

Sasuke tilted his head and watched as Kyuubi slinked into the kitchen, leisurely stretching along the way. He brushed against Sasuke’s leg, tail high in greeting and pressing his little paws into his foot. 

 

“Give him some pepperoni,” Naruto said. “That’s what he wants.”

 

“He’ll have a heart attack,” Sasuke said, though he crouched so that he could let Kyuubi take it from his fingers. The cat purred happily and lowered it to the ground so that he could chew on it, his tail brushing against Naruto’s foot.

 

“What happened to your other sock?” he asked, standing up.

 

“I dunno,” the other said. “I probably kicked it off in my sleep.”

 

They were interrupted by Naruto’s phone vibrating on the table, and he picked it up to read a test message. “Hey. My parents will be home in twenty, so we better finish this fast. My mom’ll be mad that we had pizza for breakfast.”

 

“This counts as lunch.” 

 

“Yeah, smartass, but it’s the first meal of the day that’s considered breakfast.”

 

Sasuke chewed slowly, giving Naruto a thoughtful gaze. “Fuck you.” 

 

Naruto’s head snapped over to him and he narrowed his eyes. “I’m gonna tell your mom you said that.”

 

“You wouldn’t repeat it.” 

 

“But I’ll say ‘f-word’.” 

 

Sasuke shrugged. “I’ll blame it on your horrible influence.” 

 

“What? Is my delinquency too much for you to handle? I turned in my English essay a day early, Sasuke. I’m not anything less than wild.” 

 

He smirked. “I’m sure you’re not.”

 

Naruto stared at him for a few moments before flushing. “Hey! Don’t get that look on your face, dammit! I’m gonna kick you out of my house!” 

 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t do anything?” 

 

The other narrowed his eyes at him. “I’ll keep my eye on you.”

* * *

About an hour and a half later, after a few more short rounds of various video games and the idle chat about school and a few recent movies that had come out, Naruto’s parents came home. 

 

There was a knocked at Naruto’s closed bedroom door a few seconds before Minato stuck his head in. “Just checking to make sure you’re alive,” he said. 

 

“Hey, dad,” Naruto called, not taking his eyes away from their game. 

 

“You two haven’t seemed to burn the house down,” he added. “Good. Let us know if you’re hungry?”

 

“Okay!” he called, grumbling when Sasuke beat him once again. 

  
Sasuke watched as the _Game Over_ screen appeared for what seemed like the umpteenth time in a row before letting his forehead fall on the carpet. “Enough,” he said.

 

“I know,” Naruto groaned, leaning forward to shut the gaming system off. He rubbed at his eyes. “Ugh. It’s too cold to do anything besides lay around inside. I really feel like swimming.”

 

Sasuke yawned and set his controller down. “Don’t you have homework to do?” 

 

“I did it whenever I was with you,” he tugged at the thread of the carpet. “Can we do that again? I got used to it. Plus, I’ll help you with whatever it is that you’re bad at, which is apparently nothing. But I’ll try.”

 

Sasuke recalled the conversation he’d held with Minato outside of the restaurant last night. “When are you taking your SAT?” 

 

“Next Saturday,” he replied. “You?”

 

“I am, too,” Sasuke said. “We could study for that.”

 

“We could!” Naruto said happily. “A cram session all after school this week.”

 

“Okay,” he said, rolling onto his back. 

 

“And last period,” Naruto added.

 

“Of course.”

 

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, only interrupted by Kyuubi stepping onto Naruto’s back and kneading at his shirt and Sasuke’s phone going off with a text from his mother.

 

Sasuke glanced down at his phone, typing a quick reply. “I’m getting picked up in twenty.”

 

Naruto sighed next to him. “You’re leaving and we have school tomorrow. Worst day ever.” 

 

Sasuke rested his chin on his arms. “I’m sure you’ll have worse days to come.”

 

He rolled over to face him. “Like what?”

 

He thought about it for a moment. “What about the day you die?” 

 

“You know what,” Naruto said, scratching his chin. “Scratch that. Go home, Sasuke.” 

 

He snickered even as Naruto roughly shoved at his arm. “Sasuke’s a piece of turd.”

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed Naruto’s hands away, pushing himself up with an arm and standing. “I’m changing,” he said.

 

“Take a shower if you wanna,” Naruto replied, batting at his ankles and attempting to trip him up. “Towels are in the closet.”

 

He grunted and grabbed his bag, heading into the bathroom and locking the door behind him. Sasuke stripped himself of his sleeping clothes and started the shower up, setting it to near scalding hot. He took a towel from the closet Naruto had told him about and hung it over the clear door, waiting for the water to warm up.

 

Sasuke tested the water before stepping in, welcoming the hot water over his strained shoulders. He lathered shampoo through his hair, noting how it touched his shoulders when it was wet. He quickly washed his body and stood in the water for a few more moments before shutting the shower off and toweling himself dry. 

 

Sasuke dressed himself in the same pants he’d worn yesterday, but instead wearing a long-sleeved Princeton shirt that his brother had gotten him for Christmas last year. He ran a bit of product through his hair to make sure it didn’t go in every direction once it dried.

 

He entered Naruto’s room again to find the other boy napping on the floor, a game disc right by his head. Sasuke decided to let the other sleep no matter how much he boasted about needing a minimum amount of sleep to function. 

 

Instead, he laid on Naruto’s bed with Kyuubi by his side and answered the texts he’d ignored last night. Shisui was glad to hear that he’d made some friends; he said he missed the family and he hoped they could come up to New York soon to visit him and a few other cousins. Sasuke gave him a noncommittal _maybe_ and left the conversation be.

 

The doorbell rang and, with a glance back towards Naruto, he grabbed his bag and headed to the living room. Sasuke listened to the happy greetings of his mother and Naruto’s parents before choosing the most appropriate time to step into the living room.

 

All three of them turned to him, surprised to see him.

 

“Sasuke?” his mother greeted.

 

“Naruto fell asleep on the floor,” he explained.

 

Minato chuckled and shook his head. “I told him to go back to bed, but he was off the walls at nine in the morning.”

 

Kushina laughed and tugged Sasuke closer to them, giving him a few healthy and sharp pats on the back. “That reminds me. I thought Sasuke was dead this morning! He’s the walking definition of someone who sleeps in.” 

 

“You should have seen him in preschool,” Mikoto smiled affectionately. “He _hated_ naps. He’d never take them. Now? He does the complete opposite. If you let him, he’ll sleep the whole day away.” 

 

Kushina laughed wistfully. “Sometimes I wish Naruto could be like that, but he’s usually up and at it pretty early in the morning. He’d always refuse his naps, too. One day, we _have_ to bring out the baby pictures!” 

 

Sasuke’s blood ran cold. Usually, for others, baby pictures meant slightly-embarassing-but-still-adorable photos that could be cherished. But being the younger brother of Itachi, he’d lived an unnecessarily traumatizing and embarrassing childhood. The last time his mother had gone through a scrapbook, there was a significant amount of photos of Sasuke with a bald spot the time that Itachi had _accidentally_ popped his gum into his hair. He didn’t understand why his mother thought it to be appropriate to photograph him vomiting on his father as a baby, or sobbing in the middle of his potty training. Amongst _those_ were many, many others, some of them even worse. 

 

“Do I have the feeling that the baby pictures aren’t a very good idea?” Minato murmured to him.

 

Sasuke sighed through his nose. “Not at all.”

 

“Hey,” a voice came from the hall, and Naruto emerged, rubbing his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

 

Sasuke turned to him, studying him carefully. “You were out of it.”

 

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but caught glimpse of his mother and waved. “Hi!”

 

“Hi, Naruto,” she said warmly, tilting her head towards Kushina. “I hope Sasuke wasn’t a handful?” 

 

“Oh, I dunno…” Naruto pursed his lips. “I mean, he tried to rob a bank, kill a person, take the neighbor’s kid, and burn the house down. All at the same time. But other than that, he was okay.”

 

Kushina snorted at her son’s humor and smacked him upside the head. Sasuke watched his mother giggle along with Naruto at his own joke, a strange sort of feeling coming into his chest.

 

Watching Naruto and his mother get along was… nice. Was this what Naruto felt when his parents met him and there wasn’t any immediate tension? At least to say, it was relieving to see that his mother liked one of his very few friends, and visibly approved of him. 

 

“Well, I’m glad to hear he wasn’t too much trouble,” she said, pleased. 

 

“You’re always welcome here, Sasuke!” Kushina told him. “Just let us know when you’re coming over.” 

 

Sasuke inclined his head. “Thank you.” 

 

“It was nice seeing you all again,” Mikoto added, patting her son on the lower back. “You ready?” his mother asked him.

 

“Yes,” he said, following her out the door. Sasuke turned and raised his hand to wave goodbye at Naruto’s parents. “Bye, Naruto.”

 

“See ya tomorrow!” Naruto waved, sending him a huge grin. “Don’t forget your promise!” 

 

Sasuke turned to snort and roll his eyes, pulling his sleeves over his hands so that they wouldn’t get too cold. His mother turned to him, a curious and calm look on her face as they descended towards her car resting at the foot of the driveway. 

 

“Promise?” she asked.

 

“Naruto and I are studying together all this week for the SAT,” he informed her, pushing one of his hands into his pocket. 

 

“That sounds nice,” Mikoto replied, pulling her keys from her purse and unlocking the car. She opened the back door for him to toss his duffel inside. “What was it that Minato called you two yesterday? It was just on the tip of my tongue…”

 

Sasuke tilted his head. “Friends?”

 

Mikoto clucked her tongue and pinched his arm. “Sasuke. It was about how well you two seemed to work together.”

 

Sasuke went to the other side of the car and slid into the passenger’s seat, waiting for his mother to seat herself as well. “The dynamic duo?”

 

“There it is,” she said, a smile coming onto her face. “The dynamic duo. You two are the dynamic duo.”

 

Sasuke rested his hands in his lap, pressing his fingers together as he rolled the thought of a proper _label_ to give him and Naruto. 

 

The dynamic duo was one, of course, but it didn’t seem quite fitting enough for him. Partners in crime was a bit too informal for them. But as Sasuke racked his brain for a few more nicknames that weren’t necessary for he and Naruto, he came up with one that he could admit fit them perfectly. 

 

_Best friends,_ he reluctantly admitted, a small smirk coming onto his face. _Best friends._

 


	5. Departure

“Shisui asked if we would visit them soon,” Sasuke said to his mother, playing with a loose thread on his blanket. 

 

“Ah,” Mikoto tilted her head at the thought. “Wouldn’t it be nice to see your cousins and uncles again? It’s been a couple of years.” 

 

“He asked if we would drive.” 

 

“Of course not,” she said simply, holding her hand out to him. “Let me cut those strings off. You’ll get carsick if we take a trip that long.”

 

Sasuke handed her the blanket, giving her a doubtful glance. “I don’t get carsick.” 

 

“Then your father will,” Mikoto replied, patting his cheek a couple of times. “We’ll fly.” She stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, where Sasuke listened to her open and close a few drawers. 

 

“Anyway,” she called from the other room. “Did you enjoy yourself at Naruto’s? Did they treat you well?” 

 

Sasuke tugged at the hem of his shirt. “Yes.”

 

“Naruto’s mother such an interesting person,” his mother continued. She entered the living room again and draped the gray blanket over Sasuke’s lap, taking a seat next to him. “And his father’s very funny. They make a unique family.”

 

Sasuke recalled the first moment he’d stepped into Naruto’s house, the welcomed and comfortable atmosphere that it had held. He remembered Kushina’s bright hair as she pushed it over her shoulder and Minato’s charismatic smile. It had all felt like the most stereotypical definition of a home, one built of red brick next to houses that matched it and its small green lawn and single oak tree.

 

He also remembered an ounce of the anger he’d felt last night in the few moments when he’d thought Naruto had been homophobic. Sasuke remembered the revolt he’d felt another human being, the feeling crawling inside his chest each time Naruto had gotten remotely close to him. 

 

More strikingly, he considered the short amount of time in which Naruto’s body had been pressed into his, and the single time that their lips had stuck together in their kiss. An unidentifiable heat had rushed through Sasuke during the whole ordeal, and frankly, it was something Sasuke hadn’t felt before but wouldn’t be against feeling again. 

 

Sasuke was startled of just how much he wouldn’t mind kissing Naruto again.

 

“They do,” Sasuke said absentmindedly, listening to a few lines of the criminal documentary on TV. 

 

Mikoto waited for a few moments in silence before sighing lightly and putting a hand to his forehead. “You’re out of it,” she said quietly. 

 

Sasuke regarded her from the corner of his eye, expression deftly concerned. “Tired.” 

 

“No,” she mused, her eyes darting all over his face. “Growing up.” Mikoto cupped his cheek in her hand and kissed the other. “It was just yesterday that you were running all over the house in your diaper.” 

 

“I hope you don’t mean that literally,” Itachi interjected, stepping in front of the television. He was still in his pajamas. “If so, I must have missed more than I thought I did.” 

 

“ _No,”_ Sasuke grumbled. 

 

Mikoto laughed softly. “It seems like you’re feeling better.”

 

“I sensed that Sasuke came home,” he said, stepping away from the television. Itachi lowered himself into the armchair next to him. “I had to come and ask him how his rendezvous was.”

 

“It was fine,” Sasuke repeated, barely managing to keep his voice from straying to the dry side. “Very amusing.”

 

“I could tell,” Mikoto put in. “You looked at my picture at one in the morning.” 

 

The corner of Sasuke’s lip curled up at the memory. “Itachi doesn’t seem very sick.” 

 

“But he is,” she gave Itachi a pointed look. 

 

“I am not,” Itachi retorted. He turned his gaze onto Sasuke. “You’re a little critter, are you aware?” 

 

“I love you both dearly,” Mikoto started, standing up and stretching for a moment. “But I think I’ve had enough of you.”

 

“It’s only four,” his brother protested, resting his chin in his palm. “Did you enjoy more of your time when we were crawling around?”

 

“Those times are unforgettable,” she smiled affectionately and leant against the back of the recliner. “But these are, too.”

 

“I recall holding Sasuke as he cried himself hoarse for no reason,” Itachi sighed. 

 

Mikoto pursed her lips. “Both of you did that…” she pressed her fingers together and glanced down at Itachi. “In fact, having Sasuke was like having you a second time. The only difference was that you had acid reflux and Sasuke had a problem with peas.” 

 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “I also remember Itachi purposely feeding me peas.” 

 

“How could you remember that?” she asked. “You were only three.”

 

“You ate everything,” Itachi pointed out. “I think if I had given you glue on a plate, you would have eaten it without complaint.”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “Haven’t you done that once?”

 

Mikoto pushed herself away from the recliner and sighed loudly. “Enough,” she said. She grabbed Itachi’s ponytail from its root at the crown of his head and pulled it loose. “Go lay down. Sasuke, finish up what homework you have left before your father gets on you for it. I’ll start dinner.” 

 

Sasuke gave his brother another challenging glance, one that said: _We’ll finish this later._ Itachi regarded him down his nose as he stood and calmly adjusted his T-shirt. He shuffled back to his room, shutting the door behind him. 

 

“Do you want chicken?” his mother called.

 

“Yes,” Sasuke answered back.

 

He grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and shut the television off, having grown annoyed with the news channel playing. Sasuke made a short trip to his room to grab a book for assigned reading and returned to the couch with it. He’d sit there and read while listening to the occasional clang of pot and pan in the kitchen while his mother cooked, he planned. 

 

After a few minutes of reading, a dull pain grew behind Sasuke’s eyes. He rubbed at them and set the book on the table, deciding to take a small break from it. Perhaps it was from staring at Naruto’s TV so much, yesterday, he thought. He mourned the brain cells he’d lost during their game session.

 

Sasuke stared at the carpet as the mild pain came in pulses, bringing a finger to press against his temple. He laid down on the couch and covered himself with the fleece blanket, hoping he hadn’t caught anything from Itachi. His brother tended to catch a cold around this time of year before his lungs weakened. 

 

Sasuke decided that it wasn’t a half bad idea to close his eyes to rest them. It was most definitely not a headache. Rubbing them caused them to burn, and keeping them open felt much too forced. He relaxed.

 

Unintentionally but inevitably, Sasuke fell asleep.

* * *

He woke up when he felt a sharp pressure against his forehead. Itachi.

 

“Stop it,” he grumbled, pushing his brother’s hand away. 

 

“Dinner is served,” Itachi offered. “You’ve only been asleep for three hours.”

 

“Three?” Sasuke snapped, sitting up and glancing around the room for a clock. The blanket pooled around his hips as he read the time. Three and a half, to be precise. 

 

“I didn’t want to wake you up earlier,” he continued. “You seemed tired.”

  
“I didn't want to sleep through the whole afternoon.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have laid down,” Itachi said. “Are you so riled up because you procrastinated doing your school assignments?” 

 

“No,” he muttered. Sasuke threw the blanket off of himself and stood, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

 

Itachi blinked. “Yes?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Sasuke made his way into the dining room, where his parents were already seated and waiting for them. He quickly sat down in his usual spot and waited for Itachi to return.

 

After he’d eaten dinner and answered his father’s few questions about Naruto and school, Sasuke went into his room. He started on some math homework before he realized that he may or may not have forgotten to contact his cousin.

 

Sasuke unplugged his phone from its charger and checked his couple of texts from Naruto, but none from Shisui. He snorted as he read the texts from Naruto. They were about help on this and that, and a couple of jabs at him for being old fashioned. 

 

_Shut up_ he typed quickly, pressing send and watching to see how quickly Naruto would reply. He took his phone back over to his desk and put it in a place that he could see while he was doing his homework. 

 

A few minutes later, Naruto replied. _No!!!! I have free will,_ the text said. Sasuke rolled his eyes. 

 

_Why did u take so long to reply?_ Quickly followed. Sasuke noticed that Naruto had first texted him shortly after he’d left his house.

 

He pursed his lips. _Working,_ he replied. 

 

Sasuke waited a few moments for the other to reply. When he didn’t reply immediately like he had been earlier, Sasuke returned to his homework, slowly moving through word problems and checking his work each time he advanced. When he made an accidental miscalculation due to the slip of his finger, he took the chance to glance back at his phone, staring at it for a few moments to see if it would light up with a message from Naruto. 

 

When it didn’t, he cleared his calculator and started from the beginning again. Sasuke tapped his pencil against his paper when a wave of inattentiveness washed over him. He rubbed the smudged led from the side of his palm and erased any stray marks he could’ve made instead of doing work. Sasuke glanced back at his phone again, giving it a few moments for its screen to light up,

 

_Ya right,_ said Naruto. He grabbed his phone and bit Naruto’s ear off as much as he could through a text.

 

After replying, he set his phone down again, waiting for Naruto’s response. It came quickly enough, a small string of messages on his screen as Naruto argued with him.

 

After a few moments of staring at the screen, a new message popped up. 

 

_It’s really weird talking to u in texts can we facetime?_

 

Sasuke tilted his head as he typed his reply. _No._

 

_Whatever,_ Naruto replied.

 

A few seconds passed before his phone rang with an incoming video call. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto’s contact name before pressing the decline button. He didn’t even bother to sendNaruto a text.

 

Irritated, he glanced back at his phone when it rang again. It was Naruto, _again,_ so Sasuke ignored it _again._ Naruto sent him a couple of texts complaining about how uptight he was and tried again.

 

Sasuke relented. He tapped the answer button and made sure Naruto knew just how much he didn’t approve of his harassment. 

 

Naruto’s face came into view, a goofy grin on his lips. From what Sasuke could see, he was lying on his bed, his feet swinging happily behind him. “Sasuke!”

 

“Naruto,” he said warningly. He propped the phone against the wall. “Do you have any idea how annoying you are?”

 

“You tell me pretty much every day,” the other said thoughtfully. 

 

Sasuke glared.

  
“Kyuubi says hi,” Naruto offered, fixing the angle of the camera so that Sasuke could see a few tufts of orange hair.

 

“Tell him that I hope he gets run over.”

 

“Hey!” Naruto whined, scowling. “Don’t talk like that to my cat! He never did anything to you!” 

 

Sasuke sighed. “I have freedom of speech. What do you want?” 

 

“Is it a crime to wanna talk to my friend?” asked Naruto. He had his face propped up in both of his palms. 

 

“You want my chemistry homework.”

  
“Do _not,”_ he said sincerely. “In fact, I think you’re worth a lot more than chemistry homework. Chemistry homework and a bowl of ramen, maybe.” 

 

Sasuke snorted. “I’m so honored.”

 

“You should be,” Naruto retorted. “But really. Is our studying thing still on?”

 

He rubbed the back of his neck and shoulders. “Sure. Except for Tuesday.”

 

“Tuesday? Why?” 

 

“It doesn’t affect you,” he replied. 

 

“Oh,” Naruto said simply. He crossed his arms and rested his cheek on top of the back of one of his hands. “Well. If it’s that personal.”

 

At the slightly put out expression on Naruto’s face, Sasuke placed his pencil onto the table and sighed. “Itachi leaves on that day.”

 

Naruto frowned, but something in his eyes lit up. “Shame he can’t be here longer. Are you guys close?”

 

He paused and studied Naruto’s calm expression. “You could say that.”

 

“That’s cool,” he said softly. “I wish I had a sibling sometimes. Someone I could’ve played with when I was younger.”

 

“You don’t count Karin?” 

 

“Not really,” Naruto mumbled. “I only met her a couple of years ago. She’s a third cousin twice removed or somethin’ like that. Any other family that I have lives too far away.”

 

“Ah…” Sasuke leant back in his chair. 

 

“Like my uncle who’s not even my uncle Jiraiya,” the other continued, giving him a small grin. “Lives in a hut in the middle of nowhere. My grandma lives a few minutes away from here, but she’s kinda too much to handle… and then my surrogate granny moves around a lot.”

 

“Wonderful,” said Sasuke. The conversation reminded him of his great-great uncle Madara, who was over a hundred years old, and whom nobody in his family dared to question when he would pass on into the next world. The man was hostile and senile and everything in between. Itachi said he’d peeked into his medical records once, and according to them, the elder (unfortunately) had a few years still left in him. 

 

Sasuke let him chatter on for long after that, giving his occasional grunt of approval. Naruto asked him about anything ranging from his knowledge about law to his opinion on the stray cats that hung around his neighborhood. 

 

He leant back from his homework and grabbed his phone, taking advantage of the lull in their conversation to check the time. Sasuke sighed. “It’s getting late. I’m going to bed.”

 

“No,” Naruto whined. “Stay up with me.”

 

“Why would I?” he asked, moving away from his desk and towards the pile of pajamas in the corner of his room. “It’s been a couple of hours.” 

 

“How could we have a conversation like this at school,” he mumbled. “Everyone’s gonna be all over the place and it’s like a dam’s cracking open. We go straight to studying all week. I just want a little more fun time.” 

 

Sasuke placed the phone on the nightstand and changed shirts. “It’ll all be over soon enough.”

 

“Yeah…” Naruto agreed. “But it’s still really stressful. I remember in kindergarden I was stressing out over a spelling test and they were only stuff like ‘person’ and ‘book’. Sometimes I wanna go back to that.”

  
“It’s too late,” he sighed, grabbing his phone and falling onto his bed with it. “But I personally think that you belong back in kindergarden if it helps any.”

 

Naruto narrowed his eyes and let out a frustrated groan. “Asshole. Every time I try to relate to you, you have to say something like that.” 

 

Sasuke shrugged. “You left yourself open.”

  
Knowing Naruto couldn’t see, he bit his lip. The other was right. Sasuke was caught in between tugging Naruto closer and shoving him away each time he did so. It was a confusing game of hot and cold, goodbye and hello. Sometimes, it was sickening. 

 

It was sickening because Sasuke had grown so used to the odd feeling of having a bond with someone outside of his family. It—that feeling—every time he concentrated on it, it was… chaotic. More and more often he thought of his attraction to Naruto. More and more often did the other invade his thoughts, and more and more of Sasuke’s time he spent on simply trying to sort it out. It was captivating and terrifying at the same time. Sometimes, Naruto shook him right to the core, and others, he made some comment that Sasuke could only describe as warm. 

 

It was dangerous, and Naruto was sending mixed signals. It was confusing, and Sasuke had never been in… _something_ like this before. It was aggravating, and at the same time, it was absolutely enthralling. It was a convex and complex of feelings that Sasuke couldn’t even dream of ignoring. 

 

Against all of his beliefs and carefully built boundaries… Sasuke was attached.

 

“Hey,” Naruto snapped him away from his trail of thought. “You look really serious.” 

 

He cleared his throat. “Do I usually look like a bundle of happiness?”

 

Naruto considered that for a moment. “Actually, no,” he said, putting a couple of fingers to his chin. He stood and walked through his now familiar room to Sasuke, turning off the light. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he listened to the sound of Naruto jumping back onto his bed and yanking his covers over him.

 

“Can I hang up now?” 

 

“No,” Naruto grumbled, settling into his sheets. 

 

Not knowing what else to do, Sasuke did the same. He pulled his sheets over his chest and set his phone by his pillow, turning onto his side so that it would feel like talking to Naruto in person. 

 

“I hope that if I ever get arrested,” Naruto murmured, “You know, for bein’ falsely convicted or something, not an actual crime. I’d never kill someone.” 

 

“Okay.”

 

“That you’d be a lawyer by then and you’d defend me,” he continued, ignoring Sasuke. “Or something like that, if you wouldn’t mind. If we ever lost contact in the future and I get framed as some crook, I hope you’d see me on TV and come to bust me out of jail.” 

 

Sasuke sighed. “I wouldn’t pay your bail and I certainly wouldn’t work for free. You’re a hassle enough as it is.”

 

Naruto sniggered quietly. “I’d pay you back, of course. And if you got me out, I don’t ever think I’d be able to thank you enough.”

 

“Just how much have you thought of this?” Sasuke asked, letting out an exasperated sound even though he felt a bit sympathetic towards the other. 

 

“I dunno,” he replied. “It’s late. I say weird things sometimes even when it’s not.”

 

“I think I’ve noticed,” Sasuke grumbled, fixing his pillow. “Do you even think before you speak?”

 

“‘Course I do,” Naruto said matter-of-factly. “It just comes out wrong sometimes. Mistakes. Humans make ‘em. And I learn from them.”

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stayed silent, listening to the occasional sound of Naruto’s breathing. “I really doubt that,” he murmured. 

 

“Shut up,” Naruto told him. 

 

After a few moments, he grabbed his phone, ready to hang up even if Naruto protested him doing so. “I want to go to sleep.”

 

When Naruto didn’t reply, he leant over his phone and struggled to make out anything on the dark screen. “Naruto?”

 

Nothing but slow, nearly inaudible breathing answered him back. Sasuke listened for a couple of more minutes. He pressed the end call button and set his phone on his nightstand, turning to settle back into his sheets once again. It was late, and he’d surely regret staying up just so, but not the cause as to why.

 

He thought about their odd friendship for a while, something that his mind could busy itself with as he attempted to sleep. Sasuke truly hadn’t expected it to get this far—he didn’t have any, if a little, friend qualities in him. He’d thought Naruto, playful and energetic, would get bored with him after a couple of days. But Naruto really had stayed around to jab at him and banter with him and, surprisingly, encourage him. Sasuke’s attitude towards school had brightened up slightly. He found a reward in simply attending, and whenever he made a higher grade than the other, he’d use it to poke a bit of fun with Naruto. 

 

Maybe odd didn’t describe it, he thought. They were purely opposites, like day and night and sun and moon and water and fire. Sasuke thought that friendships couldn’t work unless the participators had many things in common, but… to his surprise, he and Naruto had much more things in common than he ever would have expected. Whether they would be subtle and petty things, they weren’t stark differences like the rest of themselves were. 

 

It was surprising how far along their relationship had come along, even though it had been rocky at some times. Naruto was blunt and knuckle-headed just like he was. He was dedicated and willing just as Sasuke was, and in some instances, maybe even more. It was safe to say that Naruto balanced him out—he was much more emotional than Sasuke could ever imagine to be, and startlingly accurate at reading others’ emotions, Sasuke included. 

 

To himself, he was wild waves of unsorted thoughts and wonders. To Sasuke, Naruto (despite his exuberant personality) was calm, gentle winds. Sasuke knew in the same way that he knew he would eventually die and that he knew he needed oxygen to keep himself going—he needed someone to balance him out, like a half of the same circle or a solution to an equation. Without it, too many things couldn’t ever be possible.

 

But of course, Naruto broke through the norms and reached above his expectations. It was ridiculous most of the time, but others, it was downright admirable.

 

Sasuke’s eyelids grew a bit heavier as he felt the beginnings of fatigue to wash over him, knowing Naruto was really in for it the next day. 

 

“Naruto…” he mumbled to himself.

* * *

They were kissing again, and this time Sasuke held him with a grip tight enough and a force strong enough against the wall that Naruto couldn’t possibly move away from him. Sasuke pressed his lips with a bruising pressure against Naruto’s, breathing in the small sigh he’d let out. 

 

He didn’t mind the moisture that formed on his chin when Naruto’s lip dragged against his or the occasional nip on his tongue. It was frantic, longing because they only had a short amount of time before Naruto’s parents came home. Naruto was irresistible, he thought, holding back a groan when Naruto grinded his thigh against his crotch, further inciting the arousal he found there. 

 

Sasuke broke the kiss, biting his lip as he searched Naruto’s eyes. The other’s lip quirked as he moved his thigh again, causing a small moan to escape Sasuke and his eyes to flutter shut. Naruto’s breath was hot against his neck as Sasuke pressed his forehead into the wall, his fingers bunching in Naruto’s shirt as he used a bit more pressure to grind against Sasuke. 

 

“Naruto…” he breathed, pressing his lips together to suppress any small sounds that could slip out of his mouth. 

 

Naruto flipped their positions, pressing him into the wall and gripping his shoulders so that he wouldn’t move. They started kissing again, rough and uncaring to the amount of lips that caught on teeth. Sasuke shuddered as Naruto sucked on his bottom lip languidly and tugged.

 

He sucked in a breath when Naruto dropped down onto his knees, blue eyes hazy and staring at him intensely. 

 

“What?” Naruto asked, voice husky and lips swollen. “Scared?”

 

Sasuke’s jaw tensed, as well as his stomach when Naruto bared his teeth and pulled his zipper down with them. Even though Naruto had challenged him, Sasuke plainly and simply trusted him.

 

He groaned as Naruto’s tongue ran a pattern over his hardness through his briefs, leaving a damp trail in its wake. Sasuke’s fingers tangled in blonde hair when Naruto mouthed him and sucked him through the thin fabric, too, his tan fingers hooking themselves into his belt loops. Naruto nosed the waistband of his underwear down, nuzzling his pelvis and attaching his mouth onto the sensitive skin around Sasuke’s cock.

 

Sasuke woke with a start and gasped, sitting straight up in bed. There was a hot and sticky sweat all along his neck, back, and chest, accompanied by an undeniable arousal in his boxers. Sasuke dragged in a heavy breath as his face flushed and glanced towards his electronic clock. 

 

Six thirty in the morning, just a bit before the time that Sasuke usually woke up and got ready for school. It was enough time for him to war with himself over finishing himself off or take a cold shower.

 

In the end, Sasuke creaked his door open and glanced down both sides of the hallway to make sure his parents weren’t awake before padding into the bathroom. 

 

His shower was ice cold and shameful.

* * *

Sasuke made it a point to avoid Naruto the whole day, to save himself from any of the sudden pangs of arousal. His clipped replies to Sakura’s chatter became even shorter, but she didn’t relent. Sasuke knew better than to completely and outrightly disrespect her, though—he’d learned better long, long ago. 

 

When school ended that day, Sasuke’s eyes burning with his lack of sleep and early rising, he jabbed his finger into the rumpled shirt covering Naruto’s chest before he even stepped into the library.

 

“This is _your_ fault.” 

 

Naruto regarded him blearily, his hair mussed much more than usual. “You agreed. You shouldn’t have agreed.” 

 

“It was your idea,” he hissed. 

 

“At least we talked?” Naruto gave him an innocent look. It gave Sasuke pause—it was such a stark contrast from the clouded and lustful sneer the other had given him in his dream. “It was a good talk…” he continued.

 

Sasuke swallowed roughly, shaking the memory away. He couldn’t afford to flush in front of the other. “If we’re doing that again, we go to bed at seven. Understood?”

 

“But-“

 

“ _Understood?”_

 

Naruto sighed forlornly. “Fine. Even though literally _nobody_ goes to bed at that time, _fine._ ” 

 

“Fine,” Sasuke mumbled. They trudged to their usual spot in the library, to the seats where the majority of the student body didn’t even dare to look at. A light had died in that corner, though it was still substantial enough to read. He shrugged off his blazer, leaving him in the school’s button-down shirt, and laid it over the back of his chair. 

 

Naruto threw himself into his chair, splaying his arms across the table and overturning a cup of pencils. “I can’t function anymore.”

 

Sasuke growled in agreement. 

* * *

When Sasuke came home the next day, a suitcase rested outside of Itachi’s bedroom door and his parents sat anxiously in the living room. He frowned as he thought of the house without Itachi’s presence and decided to forgo his usual burrow into his room.

 

He headed down the opposite side of the hallway and nudged the door to Itachi’s room so that it creaked as it opened. Itachi didn’t even glance up from his laptop.

 

“Welcome,” he deadpanned. “Go ahead and come in.”

 

But Sasuke had already made his way deeper into Itachi’s room, moving to his windows. He turned the shutters down and tucked the curtains over them, blocking out the leftover light from the sun.

 

“And make yourself at home…” Itachi raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you were mother for a split second.”

 

Sasuke laid down and made himself comfortable on Itachi’s made bed, pressing himself into the dark sheets. He pushed at the pillow under his head. “Why?”

 

“Because you practically have her face, that’s why.” Sasuke watched as Itachi pushed himself across the room in his rolling office chair. He rolled over to the side of his bed and gave Sasuke a curious glance, resting his elbows on his knees.

 

“Like she had our noses when we were little?”

 

His brother chuckled and slowly raised a hand to ruffle his hair, giving his head a few good rubs before finally backing off. “How sentimental of you. Try not to miss me so much.”

 

“I see you enough,” Sasuke grumbled, smoothing his hair down. He pushed himself up on his elbows. “Too much.”

 

“I’ll make sure to visit you as much as I can,” he continued. “Don’t forget that I have Kisame keeping a tab of your name online. What else wouldn’t mother want to hear come out of my mouth…” Itachi sighed and put a finger to his chin, pretending to think. It was something Itachi would often do when they were younger.

 

Sasuke scowled. “That’s enough.” 

 

“It’s not,” he retorted. “Should I have to remind you what the definition of safe sex is? You-“ 

 

Sasuke rolled off of Itachi’s bed and stood in front of his brother, glaring down at him. “It’s time for you to leave now.”

 

Itachi paused and glanced down at his watch. “Even though you’re right, I feel like there’s too many things I’m forgetting to tell you.”

 

“Things you don’t _need_ to tell me,” he said evenly. Sasuke also knew that Itachi was stalling just to get on his nerves.

 

“I’ll let you off easily this time,” said Itachi. “But next time, you’ll hear it all.”

 

“I doubt mom would be happy to hear about that.”

 

“About what? Your adolescent sex life?” he sniffed. “Because you’re right once again. She wouldn’t.” 

 

Sasuke sighed heavily. “You realize you’re the one getting the shorter end of the stick.”

 

“You’re the baby of the family,” Itachi held his hand up in a gesture of reason. “It’s my duty to protect the majority of your virtue and for mom to pretend that you’ll never lose it. Don’t forget that you’re an angel to her.” 

 

Sasuke rolled the thought around in his head. Mentally, he shrugged. He gave Itachi a look that was half curiosity and half irritation. “Are you ready to go yet?”

 

“Why must you rush me?” he asked, standing up from his chair with a grunt. Itachi pushed it under his desk neatly and, after he was done, turned to Sasuke. “Do you have any parting gifts for me?”

 

Sasuke opened the door for his brother. “Maybe mom has some leftovers.” 

 

“Very cold,” Itachi complained, tucking his laptop under his arm and glancing around the room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He grabbed his jacket from where it was hung over the chair. “Are you ready?”

 

“You’re the one that’s leaving.”

 

“You look like you’re going to be sick,” Itachi countered, batting Sasuke’s hand away from the door. “I hope you’re eating enough. You’re still growing.”

 

“Itachi?” their mother called from the living room.

 

“And she calls,” Sasuke muttered under his breath, opening the door a bit further. He left Itachi’s room and ventured down the hallway, glancing behind him to make sure that his brother was following. 

 

“You’re running a bit late,” Fugaku pointed out, expression stern. “At this point, it may be too dark for you to drive by the time you get into New Jersey.” 

 

“There’s not much traffic,” Itachi said. “It shouldn’t be a problem.” 

 

Mikoto sighed loudly through her nose, raising her hand to run it over Itachi’s long hair. “If you say so. Why don’t you let us help you with your luggage?”

 

“I only have one,” he protested, setting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” 

 

She smiled sadly, working her fingers through a knot in his ponytail. Itachi was the one who hugged her first, leaning down so that she could set her chin on his shoulder. Mikoto rubbed andpatted his back. “Come visit soon,” she said, her voice muffled by his shoulder. She pushed him back slightly so that she could peck him on the forehead. “Be safe.”

 

Itachi nodded and parted from her, sending her a solemn glance before turning to their father. 

 

Fugaku regarded his eldest son with steady eyes, full of pride and something Sasuke couldn’t recognize. There was a tense pause in which he tried to guess if they would hug or simply part ways—his father hadn’t been an affectionate man at all, and most of their childhood comfort came from Mikoto. But Fugaku was a father nonetheless, one who was present through their childhood and in the family photos. He worked hard to put food on the table and his sons in school—even though Sasuke would butt heads with him more often than not, it would have been ignorant and selfish of him to not be thankful. 

 

Both of Sasuke’s guesses were defied when Fugaku raised his hand to firmly shake Itachi’s, his lips thinned into a tight, heady line. “Do well, my son,” he said lowly. “Make us proud.” 

 

“Of course,” Itachi nodded.

 

His brother let go of Fugaku’s hand and turned to give Sasuke a gaze full of warm affection. It made Sasuke relieved to see that their father’s stern and blunt demeanor hadn’t had an influence on the development of Itachi’s personality and his way of expressing emotions. 

 

“Little brother,” he murmured, running a hand through Sasuke’s hair yet again. “Remember what I said.” Itachi pulled him in for a hug and pressed his hand in between his shoulder blades, rubbing softly there. Sasuke remembered it as a technique to calm him down when he was younger. It was comforting and upsetting at the same time. 

 

Sasuke gave him a light, single squeeze back, feeling his father’s heavy gaze on him. Itachi let him go and leaned down to pick up his suitcase. 

 

Sasuke followed him to the front door, standing with his mother as Itachi shrugged his coat on. 

 

“Drive safely,” Mikoto said, pursing her lips as she watched her son step out of the door. “Take a break if you need one.”

 

“Bye, mother,” Itachi called, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. “Sasuke. I’ll see you during winter break.”

  
He leant against the wall. “Bye,” he said quietly. 

 

Itachi pulled the door shut between them, and any hint of the outside world was no longer audible or visible to Sasuke. He could barely make out the thrum of Itachi’s engine as he stepped into his car, his figure blurry from the morphed glass window of the door.

 

Mikoto patted him on the shoulder as she passed by him. Sasuke took a few moments to let himself delve into his own thoughts. After a couple of minutes, he leant off of the wall and glanced into the living room again, his eyes catching a frame on a shelf.  
  
His sight focused on their third annual family photo, in which Sasuke was around the age of eight. As if the photo wasn’t already awkward enough with his father’s single hand resting on a teenaged Itachi’s shoulder, his front tooth was missing and there was an unidentifiable stain on his shirt. 

 

Sasuke studied it for a few more moments before looking at the next ones, arranged chronologically so that it was obvious how much he and Itachi grew every year. It was nothing new to Sasuke—his parents had placed those photos in plain sight even in their old house. What would never get old to Sasuke, though, was the startling progression of Itachi’s maturity through the photos. Each year, Sasuke’s tooth was missing or his hair was cut unevenly or he’d accidentally blinked in the final shot. But for Itachi, every year the bags under his eyes became larger and his ponytail. He’d always possessed the look of superior wisdom in his eyes. It was a refreshing break from the intense stare his father used in each photo. 

 

Of course, Sasuke’s mother managed to balance out the entire family. Whereas his father had incredible difficulty handling and identifying his emotions (which Sasuke inherited) and his brother helplessly and relentlessly dropped his dry jokes, Mikoto added degrees of warmth into the photos. Her gaze was always affectionate and both of her hands were always on Sasuke’s shoulders, even though he’d grown much taller than her. She always smiled outright, something Sasuke found comfort in.

 

Sasuke sighed and headed down the hall, going back into his room. 

 


	6. Remission

Sasuke entered the library, a bit late for his after-school session with Naruto because he’d been making up a test the last period. He rounded the corners of tables and weaved through rows and rows of bookshelves before he glanced over to their infamous corner. 

 

He paused for a moment instead of immediately heading over to Naruto, setting his hand on the bookshelf. Naruto looked like he’d already started working by himself, tapping at his (Sasuke’s) calculator and jotting a few things onto his spiral. Sasuke tucked his hands into his pockets and stepped out of the row, approaching Naruto.

 

Sasuke cleared his throat once he faced Naruto’s back. “I had to-“

 

He stepped back as Naruto shoved at him, quickly setting a hand on the back of Naruto’s chair to balance himself. He had buried his face in Sasuke’s stomach, and he distantly hoped that his shirt at least smelled clean. 

 

Sasuke frowned down at the mop of blond hair brushing against his ribs. He took his hand from the chair and used it to attempt to shove Naruto away—though it didn’t work, of course. Naruto sighed loudly and Sasuke shivered as the breath traveled into the space of his shirt left open by the distance between the buttons. 

 

He pushed helplessly at Naruto’s head. “What are you doing?”  
  
“Givin’ you a half hug,” Naruto mumbled, his lips moving against his shirt. “More like a fourth of a hug ‘cause I’m not even holding you.”

 

Sasuke’s hand paused in pushing his head away. “Why?” 

 

“‘Cause,” the other replied. 

 

A disbelieving brow crawled its way up Sasuke’s forehead. “…Okay. Let me go.”

 

“No,” Naruto wrapped a loose arm around the back of Sasuke’s leg, keeping him in place. “You gotta stay here.”

 

“If you’d let me go, I would,” he pushed Naruto’s head away again and grimaced when he pinched the back of his knee. “Knock it off.”

 

“I _can’t,”_ said Naruto. “You’re warm.”

  
“That’s nice to know.”

 

“That you’re not cold?”  


 

“Sure.”

 

Naruto shifted his head so that his chin was resting on Sasuke’s stomach. He peered up innocently at him. “Sometimes I can’t even tell when you’re being sarcastic or not.”

 

Feeling oddly compelled to do so, Sasuke set his hand on top of his head, petting Naruto’s hair. It was thick and soft in between his fingers. “Is that a compliment?” 

 

“You’re a good actor,” he said quietly. Naruto sighed contently as he ran his fingers over his scalp, occasionally tugging at a piece of bright blond hair. 

 

“I must be clever.”

 

“Now you’re just fishing for attention,” Naruto retorted, a small grin coming onto his face. “Even though you get a lot of it. Cocky.” 

 

“First of all,” Sasuke started, giving a particularly harsh hug to a section of Naruto’s hair. He tilted his head, knowing that he had a sharp and smug glint in his eye. “Your attention doesn’t count because you’re annoying. Second, you don’t even know what I look like naked.

 

Naruto’s grin shifted from a lighthearted one to a suggestive smirk. “Will I ever get to?”  

 

Sasuke regarded him for a moment, looking dangerously close to affectionate. He smoothed down Naruto’s hair from where he’d run his hand through it. “No,” he said simply, the corner of his lip tilting up. At the sight of Naruto’s dejected expression, he pushed his head away from his abdomen and sat down. 

 

Naruto rested his cheek on his hand. “You’re cruel sometimes.”

 

“I think the word you’re looking for is realistic,” he replied. “Now. Get to work or else I’ll stop studying with you.”

 

“No,” Naruto dragged out, attempting to slump onto his shoulder. Sasuke shoved him away and willed the shiver that had run over his whole body away. 

 

And, a few moments later, Naruto had oddly complied. Sasuke looked up from his paper with an arched brow as the other chewed on the tip of his (Sasuke’s) mechanical pencil. 

 

“When are you going to give that back to me?” he asked.

 

Naruto snapped out of whatever daze that he’d been in and eyed Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. “Sometime.” 

 

“Sometime?” Sasuke echoed. “I won’t ever see that pencil again, will I?”

 

Naruto smiled, eyes bright. “Probably not.”

 

He rolled his eyes lightly and turned back to his workbook, checking over his answers. The only sounds in the library were the heater and the light scratching of Naruto’s pencil against his paper. After a couple of minutes, Sasuke leant back in his chair. 

 

“Your writing is ugly.”

 

Naruto barely spared him a glance. “I know.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I want my pencil back.” 

 

Naruto shifted in his chair and Sasuke felt his skin prickle with irritation. “Soon.”

 

Sasuke glared at the other and glanced down at his work again. He pushed himself through a couple of all-too-easy grammar questions and pinched the sheet of paper between his thumb and forefinger. When Naruto didn’t start humming some inane tune or even tap his heel against the floor, he scowled at his paper.

 

As irritating as it was to admit, it just wasn’t loud enough. In an attempt to focus on his work, Sasuke turned a page and read through a couple of long passages, his thoughts mostly going to the boy sitting next to him and ways that he could bother him. 

 

After a few moments, Sasuke’s eyes widened by a bare fraction. Is this what it was like to be… Naruto? To have the constant desire to bother the other?

 

Sasuke turned his pencil over in his hands. It couldn’t have been, so he turned to Naruto and gruffly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

 

Naruto looked up again, startled. “Huh?”

  
“Why are you so quiet? Did you finally go on medications?” 

 

Naruto’s jaw dropped. “Sasuke! What the hell is your problem?”

 

“I asked you first-“

  
“You’re worse than an old person,” Naruto snapped, dropping his pencil and placing his hands on his knees. “How come you can be weird and I can’t?”

 

Sasuke stared blankly at him.

 

“There’s this thing called _stress,”_ he hissed. “and there’s also this thing called _etiquette._ You’re really dumb.”

 

He blinked. “It’s not that big of a deal-“

 

“For _you,_ it isn’t,” Naruto scowled at him. “I’m the one with a normal brain. I’m the one that has to work for all of this shit because it just doesn’t fucking come to me-“

 

“Is that what you think of me?” Sasuke said lowly, his eyes narrowing. Because Naruto put both his temperament and patience on a ridiculously short fuse, he continued. “That I sit on my ass and listen to lecture and it’s just imprinted in my brain? I _work,_ too, Naruto. Shut the fuck up.”

 

Naruto said nothing as he considered Sasuke with a seething gaze. “I-“

 

“Or is it that you’re jealous,” he sneered. “You’re just talking to me for your own benefit. I practically did all of your homework last week-“

 

“You’re over exaggerating and you _know it-“_

 

“Nice,” Sasuke interrupted. “Fuck you,” he said calmly, rising from his seat and moving to turn away. 

  
Naruto grabbed his wrist and held it tightly. Sasuke clenched the fist of the arm he was holding and tensed his jaw, eyeing the empty library. A few moments of tense and charged silence followed his last words.

 

“Is it really that hard of a concept for you to grasp?” Naruto asked quietly. “You know, I’m just trying to get closer to you. You’re making it a lot harder than it needs to be.” His grip on Sasuke’s wrist let up slightly, allowing blood to rush back into his hand.

 

Sasuke eyed him warily and attempted to yank his wrist away from Naruto’s grip but, like earlier, the other refused to budge. “Let me go.”

 

“No,” he said adamantly. “You jump to conclusions and you put up walls. You need to stop doing that.”

 

“I don’t need to stop doing anything,” he snapped. 

 

Naruto squeezed his wrist, his face softening. “Sit down?”

 

Reluctantly, he complied, but only because there wasn’t anywhere else for him to go. Naruto offered him a sheepish and small smile, releasing his wrist and raising that same hand to scratch the back of his neck. “You know, people who’ve only known each other for a little over a week don’t fight this much.”

 

Sasuke kept his face set into an apathetic expression. “You’re the one that started it.”

 

“I know,” Naruto said quietly, shrugging. “I didn’t mean any of it. I’m just… angry. Stressed.”

 

“All because of Saturday?”

 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s… hard to explain. I’m scared I’ll fuck up like I did on my algebra test and ruin any chance I’ll have at a decent life. You…” Naruto paused, looking as if he were trying to sort out his thoughts. “You don’t even seem like you’re scared. At all.”

 

“It’s just a test,” he said simply.

 

When Naruto said nothing and just stared at him, Sasuke guessed that he’d killed the conversation again. He glanced down at the wrist Naruto had grabbed, which now had red marks from where Naruto had gripped him so strongly. Without looking at the other, he returned to his work.

 

Naruto did the same.

* * *

Later that night, after Sasuke and his mother had eaten dinner and she’d set a plate in the microwave for his father, Mikoto touched him on the shoulder in thanks for helping her clean up. 

 

Sasuke took the dripping plate she offered him and set it on the counter, wrapping a towel around it.

 

“How was your day?” she asked him over the quiet clanks of dishes in the sink. 

 

He wiped away the droplets of water that had fallen on his arm. “It was fine.”

 

“And Naruto? Is he up to his usual antics? You always have something to say about him.” 

 

Sasuke’s lips thinned. “Yes.” 

 

Mikoto chuckled softly. “He must be excited for the SAT.”

 

“He says he’s stressed,” he said quietly, drying a bowl that she handed him. 

 

Mikoto wiped her hands on her apron. “He’ll do good,” she said confidently. “So will you.”

 

Sasuke took a moment to appreciate her faith in him. She’d always been that way—from his earliest memories of his father’s light disappointment in him to their solitary home life. He hoped that he’d be able to work close to his family when he was older.

 

The thought of his parents dying crossed his mind and he paused in drying off the utensils they’d used. What would life truly be like without his parents? Sasuke thought about only being able to see them in old photos. It was strange to say in the least. Even though his father wasn’t an affectionate man at all, his actions spoke louder than his words, and he would certainly miss his company. But because Sasuke was so close to his mother and brother… it made the backs of his eyes sting. Mikoto had always encouraged and spoiled him from the very start. When he was little, she’d played long hours with him while Fugaku worked and Itachi was in school. She had taught him how to cook and make a relative use of himself, taught him manners and how to hang up his clothes properly. 

 

Sasuke loved them too much to let them go. He would have never pegged himself as the type of person to want to stay so close to his family. However, it was hard not to, when he’d had the opportunity to have them throughout his whole life. Sasuke acknowledged that he was privileged, lucky that his parents hadn’t gone through divorced or walked out on him.

 

“Sasuke?” Mikoto asked, nudging him lightly. “Did you hear me?” 

 

Sasuke blinked and glanced towards her. “Yes.”

 

“Good. Tell him that we can do whatever he wants to afterwards. I’ll leave you alone for a couple of hours, so make sure to gather up the takeout menus.”

 

Sasuke did his best to fill in the question he’d missed. “On Saturday night?”

 

“Of course,” she replied and slung the towel that had been on her shoulder over the faucet of the sink, wringing her hands out. “I’ll let you two sleep in on Sunday for your hard work.” 

 

“Okay,” he said, drying his hands on the towel he’d been using. “I’ll ask him.” 

 

Mikoto switched spots with him so that she could begin sorting out through the dried dishes. “Good. Go to bed early, Sasuke. You need to stay well rested.”

 

Sasuke nodded. “I will. There’s not anything else I can-“

 

“It’s fine,” she gave him a small smile. “You’ve helped enough.”

 

“… All right,” he said quietly, backing away from the kitchen. “Good night.” 

 

“Sleep well,” Mikoto called back.

 

Sasuke padded down the hallway in the dark, nearly stubbing his toe on the way. He ran his hand over his doorway before flicking his light on and entering his room, yawning and heading for his dresser to change. 

 

On the way over, Sasuke grabbed his phone to check for any messages. A couple from Naruto and Itachi appeared on his screen, but he could save those for later. He changed into his pajamas quickly and walked across the hall to his bathroom, where he washed his face and brushed his teeth.

 

Sasuke came back into his room and read Naruto’s messages aloud to himself. 

 

_are we doing this video chat tonight??_

 

_Sasuike!! you can’t be asleep already_

 

_I’m not,_ Sasuke typed, the corner of his lip tilting up. He set one knee on his bed for balance. _But I’m going to be soon._

 

Just a few seconds later, an incoming call flashed on the screen. After a few moments of irritation that he’d actually been _excited_ for a split second, Sasuke answered it.

 

“What do you want?” he deadpanned.

 

“‘Sas?” Naruto asked. “Why’s the screen dark? Are you naked?”

 

Sasuke blanched and removed his thumb from where it had been over the camera. “What is it with you and me being naked?”

 

“Just a question,” he shrugged. Naruto lifted his hand to scratch behind his ear. “Don’t take it personally.” 

 

“Me, take it personally,” Sasuke mused, lowering himself onto his bed. “You’re the one that takes everything personally.” 

 

Naruto scrunched his nose up and gave him a disapproving grunt. “I think I’m more gullible…”

 

“You’re both,” he said. 

 

The other sighed. “Whatever. Say hi to Kyuubi.”

 

“I’m not going to say hello to him every single time I see him,” Sasuke grumbled. Unfortunately, a ball of red fur appeared onscreen, followed by the sound of loud purring. 

 

“Kyuubi says he still loves you even if you’re an asshole sometimes,” Naruto said quietly, falling back onto his bed. He rested his cheek on his arm, voice slightly muffled. 

 

He sniffed. “Cats can’t talk, and if they could, Kyuubi would most likely sue you for your thorough harassment.” 

 

“If he hated me _that_ much, he wouldn’t be purring. He only scratches me every once in a while,” Naruto said, hiking up the bottom of his shirt to show Sasuke a faint scratch there. 

 

Sasuke only got a brief glimpse of tanned, smooth skin, but it was burned in his mind long after Naruto had pulled his shirt down. 

 

“I’m already tired of you,” he muttered. “Just to let you know, my mom is making me invite you over on Saturday. She feels bad for you.”

 

“Sure she does,” Naruto said cheekily, a wide grin blooming on his face. Even through the screen, Sasuke could see the mirth in his eyes. “‘Cause she enjoys my company.”

 

“You could tell yourself that.”

 

“All right,” he clipped. “You’re extra cranky today. Is there some sort of rash I should know about? Maybe you have hemorrhoids?” 

 

Sasuke rolled onto his stomach and pressed a hand over his face, though his stomach shook with the effort not to laugh. “No. The reason I’m extra ‘cranky’ is because you’ve been extremely annoying today.”

 

“Says the one who picked a fight,” mumbled Naruto. “You’ve just got a short fuse, you know. It’s really easy to get you all riled up.”

 

“As it is to you,” Sasuke replied. “Though you lack a common sense and, in general, a conscience. Maybe I should be worried.”

 

“You’re right,” he sighed. “I can’t have any common sense to be talkin’ to you. It’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made, right?”

 

Sasuke glared and stayed silent, glancing away from the camera. In his personal opinion… he wasn’t _terribly_ hostile. Sure, he could be horrendous at times, but it was Naruto’s fault.

 

“Hey,” Naruto called. “I didn’t hurt your feelings, did I? Come on. I thought you were good with this whole sarcasm thing.” 

 

“I doubt that you even know the definition of sarcasm,” he said. “If you can’t tell when I’m using it, that’s on you.”

 

“Well, this one’s on you, too,” Naruto chirped. “I’m not a mean person. I mean, I kill bugs sometimes, but that’s ‘cause they’re not supposed to be where they are sometimes. No big deal.” 

 

Sasuke grinded his teeth together slightly. “How far off of the topic have you strayed?”

 

“There doesn’t have to be a topic,” he retorted. “That’s how conversation works, I guess. It goes on and on and then it branches off into a bunch of little other conversations. Like a vine.” 

 

Sasuke didn’t reply. He twirled a loose end on the sleeve of his shirt around his finger for a while, taking the opportunity to bathe in Naruto’s company. Oddly enough, it almost felt as if he hadn’t seen Naruto in _months._ But whenever they did this, their late night talks on video chat, Sasuke felt like they were different people sometimes. It was disheartening to think that he’d only met Naruto by a narrow chance—and had he hadn’t moved, his chances would have been right next to _none._

 

“What’re you thinking about?” Naruto asked quietly, giving him a contemplative look. 

 

Sasuke ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head. “Nothing. Go to sleep now.” 

 

“But _Sa-“_

 

Sasuke hung up, smirking to himself as Naruto’s disappointed face stuck to his screen for a few seconds. He rolled his phone in his hand for a few seconds before leaning down and sliding the device under his bed, ensuring that Naruto wouldn’t bother him for the rest of the night.

* * *

“Your eyes are _really_ dark,” Naruto murmured.

 

Sasuke glanced up from his soup, unsure that he’d heard the other over the clamor of the restaurant. “My eyes?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Lemme take a _picture._ ” Naruto pulled out his phone.

 

Sasuke studied him, resting his cheek on his hand. “Just my eyes?”

 

“Just your eyes,” Naruto agreed. 

 

Sasuke held still for a few seconds before he smirked at the look of frustration on Naruto’s face. “What’s taking you so long?”

 

“Lighting’s weird, your eyes are narrow, and I keep missin’ the damn button,” he mumbled. “Don’t blink, ‘Sas.”

 

Sasuke did just so, holding still for just a few seconds more. “Do you have it?”

 

“Yeah,” said Naruto. “Now I’m puttin’ it away ‘cause we look obnoxious now.”

 

“You mean specifically _you?”_ Sasuke accused. “The waitress asked you if you wanted a kids meal.”

 

The other turned an interesting shade of pink. “Then who’d she think that you were? My dad?”

 

He pinched his nose. “Why do I even try…” Sasuke muttered to himself.

 

“How come you always get angry at _me_ when _you’re_ the one who starts these kinds of things?”

 

“Technically, you provoke them. It’s inevitable.”

 

“How can I provoke them when I’m just being good?” Naruto asked, scowling at him. 

 

Sasuke stared at him. “You do.” 

 

“Bah,” Naruto scoffed. “You’re just searchin’ for something to blame on me, Sasuke.”

 

He glanced up from his food and raised an eyebrow, neatly setting his spoon on top of his napkin. Naruto had shrugged off his school blazer, leaving him in his white oxford short with the sleeves rolled up and his tie loosened around his collar. Sasuke’s eyes lingered on the exposed skin of his neck and some of his chest. “You say my name too much.”

 

“No…” Naruto said, his eyes boring into Sasuke’s.

 

Sasuke considered the fact that they were sitting at a small table _meant_ for two people. His face hovered invitingly close to Naruto’s, enough that if he leant forward, their noses would touch. His thoughts took a turn to the two times they’d kissed—how Sasuke hadn’t minded the urgent sloppiness they took on sometimes. They also dove into the dream he’d had a few nights ago, but Sasuke was smart enough to know that thinking of that dream at the table was _not_ a good idea. 

 

Whether it be subconsciously or on purpose, Sasuke had leant forward slightly. Naruto’s eyes were half lidded, the startling blue of them sadly hidden from his view. Some sort of—electricity, Sasuke thought—bounded off of the both of them, keeping his desire to kiss Naruto at bay yet incite it even further.

 

Sasuke cast his eyes to Naruto’s empty plate but didn’t move, only partially breaking the roiling tension between them. Naruto’s hand fell dangerously close to his own and the other sighed so that Sasuke could feel it on his own lips.

 

“Public,” he whispered, leaning back when Naruto tipped his head forward. It was excruciating to do so, but it snapped him out of the drowsy state that Naruto had put him into. 

 

“Later?” Naruto used his pinky finger to tap against Sasuke’s wrist. The action dragged his eyes back to Naruto’s face, which he’d deemed safe enough for the moment.

 

Sasuke stayed silent, hoping that his eyes didn’t betray his flat expression like Naruto’s did—want, smugness, and the slightest hint of uncertainty. He leant away and rested his chin on his hand again. 

 

“Behave yourself,” he told Naruto.

 

“Hey,” Naruto grunted. “It takes two to… tango. Not that we’re tangoing. But… you know what I mean.”

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I hope that, in the future, you can work on your English skills.”

 

“It is my first language,” said Naruto, the previous mood immediately dissipating with his response. “But what do you expect from me? It’s not like I’m automatically gonna sprout out poetry.” 

 

He shrugged. “Whatever. Are you done yet?”

  
Naruto glanced down at his plate. “Sure. It’s gettin’ kinda dark, too.”

 

Sasuke stood and stretched as Naruto tossed a tip onto the table, letting an elderly couple pass by before heading to the entrance of Panera.

 

With the time came a lower temperature, and the breeze burnt Sasuke’s cheeks and ears. Naruto hissed when he stepped outside and hurried to shrug his blazer back on, muttering to himself about how he should have brought a scarf with him.

 

They waited for traffic to clear up before crossing the street with the rest of the crowd waiting, all scuffling to get back into the heat of their cars or apartments. A man with an arm around his girlfriend bumped into Sasuke and quickly apologized, to which he nodded to.

 

“I’m still really damn scared for tomorrow,” Naruto muttered, his teeth chattering. He stuck his hands into his pockets. “What do you think they’ll do if I cry all over my test?”

 

“Kick you out,” Sasuke replied, earning a chuckle from his friend. “Don’t be such a scaredy cat.” 

 

“Me? A scaredy cat?” Naruto scoffed, giving him a light shove. “Just a little test anxiety. I may or may not faint in the testing room. We’ll see.”

 

He pursed his lips. “I hope you don’t use this as an excuse to get special treatment from my mom.”

 

“Why would I do that?” he demanded. “Your mom already likes me enough. Plus, you’re kinda right, it’s not that big of a deal. It just decides the path of my life and career. No biggie.”

 

Sasuke’s eyebrow arched. “Was that sarcasm I heard?”

 

Naruto laughed and bumped his shoulder into his again. “You betcha, Uchiha!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO SHUT UP SASUKE…
> 
> A short chapter, but the next one should be longer. Anyway, I’m feeling pretty funky because Naruto ends in a couple of days, and 699 + 700 may or may not be out tomorrow morning. Not sure how my writing will be after that, but… enjoy! Let’s celebrate the moments we’ve had with this series.


	7. Promise

On Saturday, Sasuke woke up at four in the morning for no apparent reason. He sat up in bed, feeling well rested, and squinted at his alarm clock to make sure he’d read it right. It felt chilly in his room, so as he stood to walk over to his desk, he draped extra blankets around his shoulders.

 

Sasuke raised an incredulous brow when he saw that Naruto had been awake as of a couple of hours ago. Allegedly, he’d been too anxious to fall asleep normally—leading him to run his eyes over the missed video call at two forty-eight in the morning.

 

In fact, he almost felt a pang of empathy, but it was useless because it was Naruto. 

 

Sasuke gave another glance to his clock over his shoulder and wondered what he would do for three hours before his father would awake to drop him off at the school. Using a careful force, Sasuke turned his doorknob before he closed the door so that it wouldn’t make a loud click. It shut silently.

 

He flicked his lamp on, wincing because he knew his mother would probably be disturbed by the light. Sasuke tossed a pillow over to his door so that it fell down on the ground in front of it, (hopefully) blocking any light that leaked under.

 

Because Sasuke wasn’t a helplessly useless person, he dragged out a few of his study books so that he’d be prepared until the very last minute. He racked his mind for anything that he’d possibly forget during the test—to use a logical process of elimination, underline key words in a question he didn’t understand, skip a question if he didn’t know it at all.

 

It wasn’t as if he were insecure about acing the test. Sasuke knew he would. He knew he would because the stupid thing kept getting easier and easier every year. He knew he would because he _had_ to, or else Fukagu would regard him with a look of disdain again. 

 

It also wasn’t as if Sasuke’s only reason to succeed was to impress his father; it was to get accepted into the college he _wanted_ to go to, not sufficing for one. If Sasuke ever wanted to be as close to the lawyer that he hoped to be, he’d at least have to try (and blast his classmates far away from it as he did). 

 

After tapping his pencil in an erratic beat against the leg of his desk for a few moments, Sasuke concluded that he was as prepared as he could be. He tossed a calculator onto his bed and stood up to stretch, knocking the blankets off of his shoulders. Sasuke shivered and wrapped them around himself again, wondering if it was worth it to scuttle down the hall and make sure the heater was on.

 

He wondered if he should attempt to sleep again, but after sitting idle on his bed for a few boring minutes, he decided to set out his clothes for the day.

 

Sasuke checked the weather online and frowned when he saw that it would be freezing that day. He stepped into his closet and, wondering what to wear in his first _truly cold_ winter, picked at a long-sleeved shirt. 

 

California’s winters had never gone under sixty degrees. While he’d gone on vacation in much colder areas of the countries, he’d simply tolerated it, even though he liked to say that he enjoyed winters. 

 

Sasuke eventually chose a dark sweater that he could pull over an oxford shirt, setting out another jacket he could wear if the temperature dropped any lower. He studied the jeans that had fallen onto his closet floor, deeming them wearable. The wrinkles in them couldn’t bother anyone too much. 

 

Sasuke glanced at his clock again. Two hours had passed. Not having much else to do, Sasuke cleaned up his work area and picked up the pillow he’d tossed on the floor, fluffing it up a few times before tossing it back onto his bed. 

 

He made sure that his room was clean for when Naruto came over later that day. Sasuke fished around under his bed to find the other missing half of a few pairs of socks and a jumping spider. He made his bed and made sure the shutters of his window were closed tight. 

 

Bored, he checked his phone to see if Naruto was up, but was disappointed to find out that he wasn’t. Sasuke pressed his ear to his door and listened for the sounds that said either of his parents were awake. He heard the faint boiling of coffee in its maker and grabbed his clothes off of his bed, padding across the hall to take a hot shower.

 

He tiptoed over the cold floor tiles and immediately leaned into his shower to turn the water temperature to scalding. Sasuke made his shower short but relaxing, dreading the moment he’d have to step out into the frigid air.

 

Sasuke glanced into the kitchen, finding his mother sitting at the dining table with a mug of coffee in her hand.

 

“Good morning,” she said quietly, watching him over the rim of her cup. “Did you sleep well?”

 

“I’ve been up,” he mumbled.

 

Mikoto gave him a small smile. “I heard you.”

 

Sasuke turned and searched the counters for something to eat, eventually settling with toast. He set the toaster on the lowest setting and placed two pieces of bread into the slot.

 

“Nervous for today?” Mikoto asked, nodding her head when Sasuke turned back around to look at her. 

 

Sasuke hovered his hand over the toaster. “Not at all.”

 

She hummed. “Nobody in this family is like that. Not you, not Itachi, not your cousins or your father..” Mikoto rested her cheek on her hand. “He’ll be out in a few minutes, actually.”

 

“Don’t forget we’ll have a guest,” Sasuke said. 

 

Her face notably lit up. “That’s right. Don’t forget I’ll be out for a couple of hours tonight, so if you two want me to bring anything back. let me know.”

 

“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll tell Naruto not to destroy the whole house.”

 

“Didn’t he say the same thing about you?” Mikoto countered. “But on a more realistic note, if you two get cold, turn on the heater instead of trying to use the fireplace. I still haven’t forgotten what you did when you were little.”

 

“I was _little,”_ Sasuke grumbled, still finding nothing wrong with sticking a few extra things into the burning fire. 

 

“You’re up already?” Fugaku’s voice came from behind him. 

  
Sasuke turned and watched his father straighten out his tie. “Yes.”

 

“Make sure you’re ready,” he said, checking his watch. “We’ll go ahead and leave.”

 

Sasuke bowed his head slightly and turned to his mother, who gave him a small but encouraging smile.

 

“You’ll do perfectly fine,” she whispered. “Good luck.” Mikoto’s hand brushed against his shoulder when he left. It reminded him of the times when he was younger and sick, when she’d give him a neck massage.

 

Sasuke shivered the moment he stepped outside, under his three layers and a scarf. There was condensation on the windows of the Volvo. His father grunted as he unlocked the car and started it, hurrying to get the heater on.

 

“Ready,” Fugaku grumbled, waiting for him to get his seatbelt on. He backed up out of the driveway and waited for a truck to pass through the street before exiting the neighborhood.

 

Sasuke stared out the window the entire short drive. The silences between he and his father were never awkward, being men of two words. Fugaku never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary that he had to. Even with that, sometimes Sasuke overheard his conversations with Mikoto, and they were pleasant enough. His father was polite to Mikoto, and she to him, a remnant of the love they had when they first married. 

 

As small streets passed by, Sasuke eyed the ever-growing stock of Christmas decorations dominate the ones left over from Thanksgiving. Sales for those were starting. Coupons were displayed for layaway on children’s toys and clothes, as well as electronics and opening times for midnight sales.

 

All too soon, Fugaku pulled into the busy driveway of his school, filling with students from there and other schools of the city. He saw a few of his classmates pass by in groups. 

 

“Thank you…” he said quietly, moving to unlock the door.

 

“Sasuke,” Fugaku barked and set a hand on his shoulder.

 

Startled, Sasuke regarded him warily, blinking once. “Yes?”

 

He paused for a beat, shoulders tensing and then relaxing slightly. “Watch your hand. Look over your answer sheet and erase any smudges that you leave behind,” he advised, releasing his shoulder and resting his arm on the middle console. “That goes for your essay as well. No son of mine will conform to the average score in any test, and neither of them ever have.”

 

“…Okay,” he said stiffly, unbuckling his seatbelt and quickly opening the car door. “Bye.”

 

After a solid and pointed look at him, Fugaku raised his hand in a wave and drove away. Sasuke stared at the empty spot the car had been in for a few moments and blinked himself out of his daze. 

 

As he walked up the steps to the school and waited for someone to come open the door for him, Sasuke rolled his father’s words around in his mind—analyzing, dissecting, translating. He didn’t fully understand whether what Fugaku had said was yet another bar in his ladder of high expectations or a few (poorly) worded phrases of comfort.

 

Sasuke figured that dwelling on it wasn’t going to solve anything and quietly thanked the person who’d unlocked the door for him, stepping inside and immediately flushing with warmth. 

 

He glanced to the side and spotted Neji leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to the ground. Sasuke tilted his head and approached him slowly, waiting for the other to notice him.  
  
“Sasuke,” Neji acknowledged, lifting his head. His long, deep brown hair spilled over his shoulder.

 

Sasuke leant against the wall next to him, a modest amount of distance between their shoulders. “Neji,” he said. “You’re taking this pretty late.”

 

Although he raised an eyebrow, Neji didn’t appear very agitated by his comment. “I was sick the day of when I tried to take it in the spring,” he said haughtily, straightening out his posture. “It’s a good thing that you got through algebra two already.”

 

Sasuke shrugged at the semi-compliment. “It’s easier and easier every year,” he replied, speaking the words he’d thought of earlier that morning. 

 

“Ah,” Neji scratched his chin. “So I hear that the corporation your father manages is making some monumental investments.”

  
Sasuke’s lips tightened at the news. When his father came home, he kept his work and family life carefully parted. Maybe his mother and brother would know of such, but… the fact that he was the baby of the family bit him in the ass again. Fugaku thought, and had always thought, that he was too young and naïve to understand the matters of the business world. Sasuke _thought_ that he’d laid a few hints out in a few of their conversations, small mentions of his knowledge of law and technical terms. But, as it seemed, it still wasn’t enough for Fugaku. 

 

Neji made a small sound of content next to him and slid his hand into the breast pocket of his coat, pulling out a business card. “If you ever come into any troubles about that… my family would love to help.”

 

Sasuke carefully took the card and glanced down at the fine, glossy print. The Hyuuga family crest stood out out him the most, a small fist of fire centered at the top of the card. It reminded him that the Hyuuga and their branch families were renowned for their successful groups of lawyers, that he was the only member in their family to step out of the expectations to become an entrepreneur.

 

“Save the paper,” he mumbled, holding the card out for Neji to take back. “I don’t think we’ll be needing this.”

 

Neji leant away from the wall and shrugged. “It’s no problem. Keep it,” he insisted. “My family specializes in all cases.”

  
Sasuke watched him stroll away and join a group of seniors. He turned his back to the people watching him, holding his hands close to his face so that any by passers would think he was on his phone. Sasuke bent the business card in half, flipped it over, and repeated until the center of the card was worn thin. He tore it in half and tossed it in the small trash can nearby.

 

He was startled by an arm going around his waist, glancing over to see that it was only Naruto. Sasuke let Naruto tap their heads together in a hug, his hand lingering on a hip.

 

“I keep hearing the girls talkin’ about you,” he said into his ear. “Sasuke looks _hot,_ he looks like he’s in college, he can grab my-“

 

Sasuke punched him lightly in the chest, pushing him away. “What on earth makes you think I want to know what they think?”

 

“Uh…” Naruto tapped his chin in thought. “That you’re straight as an arrow, duh.”

 

Sasuke snorted. “I’m as straight as they are smart.” 

 

The other made a low sound in his throat and pinched the inside of his elbow. “You’re brutal. I love it when you make jokes about yourself like that.”

 

He gave Naruto a blank look. “I wasn’t trying to make a joke.”

 

“It _was_ a joke,” Naruto said, laughing as Sasuke cracked a small smile and shook his head.

 

He looked outside the window to watch students as they chatted outside. Naruto sighed beside him and leant against it, leaving a smudge from where he’d breathed against it.

 

“I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” Naruto said quietly, staring out the window to see what Sasuke was looking at.

 

Sasuke gently pushed him away. “Not on me,” he murmured. “Throw up on Kiba.”

 

Naruto snorted. “Lazyass is taking it senior year.”

 

He glanced over at his friend, looking forward to seeing a playful grin on his face. Sasuke blanched as he noted that Naruto looked much paler than he usually did.

 

“You… don’t look that well,” he said. “Why didn’t you take NyQuil?” 

 

Naruto scratched at the back of his neck. “I didn’t really think of that… but then I would’ve had trouble wakin’ up, you know?”

 

Sasuke pursed his lips. “Maybe you should sit down.”

  
“M’fine,” he grumbled. “The only way I’d feel better is if I could have some macaroni for breakfast.”

 

Sasuke tugged on his arm, pulling him further down the hallway where he knew there were some waiting chairs. “We’ll get some after this,” he promised.

 

After dragging Naruto over halfway down the hall to find that the chairs were already occupied, he led them into a more secluded and quiet one. He crossed his arms and leant his back against the wall, watching Naruto as he fidgeted and tugged at the loose string of cotton at the hem of his red shirt. 

 

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. “It won’t be that hard.”

 

“Says you,” Naruto grumbled, eyeing him for a few moments. He dropped the piece of string that he’d torn off his shirt.

 

“You have very high expectations of me.”

 

“‘Course you’re gonna get a perfect score.” 

 

Sasuke glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “You won’t do too horribly.”

 

The corners of Naruto’s lips quirked. “Asshole.”

 

“Come here,” he said quietly, grabbing Naruto’s elbow. “Let’s go to the bathroom.”  


“Eh?” Naruto protested, following him regardlessly. “Hey, by any chance, do you have a snack or something? I’m still really hungry.”

 

“I told you that we’ll eat afterwards,” Sasuke mumbled, turning a corner. He pushed the door to the men’s bathroom open, Naruto in tow. 

 

Sasuke released him and glanced around to make sure that nobody was with them. He made to look like he was innocently heading for the sink, but after listening for any telltale signs that they could have a witness, he turned back to Naruto and pushed him against the wall.

 

Naruto spluttered for a split second but then went silent, registering the proximity of their faces. His eyes narrowed. “Oh.”

 

Sasuke waited for him to look back into his eyes. His hands were pressed against the cool wall tile and Naruto pulled him closer to press their upper bodies together.

 

“Hi,” said Naruto, a smirk pulling at his lips. 

 

Sasuke said nothing, lifting his eyes from Naruto’s lips to gaze into his eyes again. This was it—they hadn’t kissed in a week, and Sasuke was burning with the desire to be close.

 

Naruto leant forward and kissed him, chaste and leisurely. He cupped the back of his neck while his other hand stayed on Sasuke’s hip, his thumb running over his side and back again. Sasuke gave him a nip to let Naruto how he needed it. 

 

Naruto let out a quiet moan when their mouths opened, his fingers tightening in Sasuke’s hair. Sasuke tugged at his shirt and took all of what Naruto had to offer—a flood of his lips in a demanding and heated movements, his pulse picking up with every passing second. Sasuke held in a small sound as Naruto’s hands snaked behind him and grabbed his ass, feeling a flush of content settle into his cheeks.

 

Here, Sasuke thought he wouldn’t get enough of it even though he’d only had a couple of tastes of kissing Naruto. Naruto kissed like a hurricane—like soft, rolling waves when he wanted to, and then strongly like raging winds. It all still felt purely amazing to him, how warm Naruto’s lips and skin were, how pleasing it was to touch whatever he wanted to.

 

They parted when the intercom interrupted them, calling down all testers to their respective rooms. Naruto rested his forehead against his shoulder and sighed while Sasuke tried to even out his breathing. He was pleased to see that a healthy flush had spread over his face

 

“You always have to drag the attention back to you,” Naruto said under his breath. He lifted his head so that their lips were nearly brushing with every word. “Jerk.”

 

Sasuke’s eyes were half-lidded. “I don’t even try. You do that yourself.”

 

Naruto placed his hand against his chest and pushed lightly, looking full well like it took most of his willpower to. Sasuke immediately noticed that the warmth from where their bodies had been pressed together left him. 

 

He wiped at his lips with a thumb. “Ready?”

 

Naruto glared at him. “Don’t look at me like that while you _say_ it like that,” he warned.

 

Sasuke smirked and opened the bathroom door. “Of course.”

 

He walked alongside Naruto as they headed upstairs, knowing that they were in the same room because of their last names. Sasuke kept a close eye on him as he stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep their twiddling out of sight. 

 

“You don’t have any time left to freak out,” he said. “It’ll be over soon enough.”

 

“Yeah…” Naruto said, his voice small. “I guess what you know, I know. And I know that you know a lot, so… we’ll both do good.”

 

Sasuke nodded and stood outside of their designated testing room. “We have almost four hours in there. Are you ready?” 

 

Naruto sent him a glance and pressed his lips together. “Yeah.”

* * *

Naruto bounded down the steps of the school and towards Sasuke, leaping towards him and enveloping him in a half-hug. “That was really easy!”

 

Sasuke growled and shoved him off. “I _told_ you. But do you ever listen to me? N-“

 

The other set a hand over his mouth and shushed him. “Don’t speak. You’re just cranky ‘cause it took so long.”

 

“Shut up,” Sasuke told him. “Let’s go eat. Do you want to go any place other than Panera?”

 

Naruto bumped their shoulders together and evaded a large group of seniors that passed by them. “If you feel like it. Do you wanna go to that little Italian place down the street?”

 

“Sure,” he mumbled, fixing his scarf around his neck. 

 

It had warmed up by about ten degrees, but the sky still remained a pale grey. Sasuke hadn’t seen the sun since he’d left California, and he wondered if it was not only because of the weather but also pollution. 

 

“Who needs to learn how to drive when you live in a city where there’s more taxis than people,” Naruto wondered aloud, digging his toe into the sidewalk. A car honked at them as it passed by.

  
Sasuke’s nose scrunched as they passed the scent of the Panera restaurant they ate at so often. “Taxis can’t take you everywhere.” 

 

“I guess,” said Naruto. He inched a bit closer to Sasuke again, hunching his shoulders for warmth. They were close enough to cause anybody driving by to take a second look at them. Sasuke took a moment to be grateful that they didn’t have their uniforms on, and that they looked to be a couple of years older. 

 

“Is this it?” Sasuke asked, studying the quaint, hole-in-the-wall restaurant coming into his view. There were only a few cars parked in its lot.

 

“I promise you that it’s good,” Naruto smiled. 

 

“It doesn’t look like it’s open,” he noted, craning his head to see.

 

“It is!” Naruto tugged him further along the road and into its parking lot. “Hurry up so we can get a table!” 

 

Sasuke grumbled and let the other yank him into the restaurant, a bell on the door jingling behind them. He yanked his arm away from Naruto’s grip and rubbed at it, slowly taking in the restaurant. 

 

It was barely lit inside, the only lighting being bulbs creatively strung above their heads and a couple of candles at each table. It was small, almost to a claustrophobic level, and Sasuke could hear pots and pans banging against each other behind the open door of the kitchen.

 

Naruto led him to a table in the corner of the restaurant, passing by only a couple of other single diners and a small family. Sasuke shrugged his coat and pulled his scarf off, draping them both over the back of his chair while Naruto did the same.

 

Naruto thanked the waitress as she came by to give them menus. “What is it with you and those sweaters?”

 

“Me and my sweaters?” Sasuke echoed. “It’s cold.”

 

“You always wear ‘em like that,” he said quietly.

 

Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds before looking down at his menu. The restaurant had a surprisingly large one, considering its size. He immediately set his mind on a simple order of ravioli. 

 

He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a child laughing behind him. Sasuke watched the small family of four stand from their table and prepare to leave. The two arguing toddlers—brother and sister—reminded him of he and Itachi when they were younger. 

 

“Cute,” Naruto mused, mixing his soda with his straw. 

 

The waitress came again to take their orders, picking their menus off the table. Sasuke stretched his arms behind his head and leant over the table. “Cover your ears. I’m going to pop my fingers.” 

 

“Dammit,” Naruto mumbled and covered his ears with his palms, glaring at him all the while as he did so. “You’re gonna have really bad arthritis when you get older.”

 

“I won’t,” he said matter-of-factly. “You know you’re eventually going to have to get over the sound, right?”

 

“I can cover my ears for as long as you’re in my life,” the other protested. 

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Will I need a restraining order to get you away from me?” 

 

“Asshole,” Naruto said affectionately, setting both of his hands on the table. “Hey, that reminds me. I saw you talking to Neji. You looked like you were gonna kill him.”

 

“You were watching,” Sasuke deadpanned, unimpressed. 

 

“ _No,”_ Naruto dragged out, raising both of his eyebrows. “I was coming in and you were giving him this look of death. Then I went somewhere else and when I came back, you were brooding in the corner.”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s not important,” Sasuke said nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. “He was just being obnoxious.”  


Naruto pursed his lips, getting the message. “If you say so,” he sighed.

 

Sasuke’s lip twitched. “Look what you fucking did,” he said, pointing at the blown out candle between them.

 

“Ah!” Naruto coughed. “I didn’t mean to!” 

 

Sasuke opened his mouth to throw an insult at Naruto, but was interrupted by their waitress greeting them and setting their plates in front of them. His nose filled with the scent of tomato sauce and pasta. 

 

“Thank God,” the other groaned, nearly dropping his utensils on the floor in his hassle to take them out from their napkin. “I was gonna _die.”_

 

“I heard your stomach from all away across the room,” Sasuke retorted, casting him an irritated look over his bowl. 

 

Naruto snickered. “At least it won’t be grumblin’ for a little while now. I gotta stock up for winter hibernation.” 

 

“You’re going to send my mom off the wall.”

 

“If your mom can handle _you,_ she can handle me.”

 

They ate in silence for most of the time, because Sasuke didn’t like speaking when he was eating and Naruto was too busy stuffing his face to spare any time for conversation. He picked at Sasuke’s breadstick, and eventually, he had to surrender it to Naruto. 

 

A lunch rush consisting of two or three more people flooded in. It was enough to keep the waiters and cooks busy. Sasuke liked the fact that the restaurant was so small; it gave the cooks a wider slot of time to prepare their food in, which was phenomenal. 

 

After a few minutes of resting, Naruto checked their bill. “You ready?”

 

Sasuke stuffed a complimentary mint into his pocket and nodded. “I’ll pay the tip this time.”

 

Naruto whined when they left the restaurant, stepping back into the cruel winter air. “I feel like my eyeballs are gonna get completely dry.” 

 

He frowned in disgust. “Naruto. Stop talking.”

  
“But it’s so _c-c-cold,”_ he gasped, wrapping his arms around himself. 

 

Sasuke scowled and dipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He had a new text from his mother asking if they were hungry or not. 

 

“Where did you even put your stuff?” Sasuke asked.

 

“Locker room,” Naruto started at a car that had driven a bit too close to the curb.

 

Sasuke shoved him lightly and picked up his pace, longing to get back into the heated air. Naruto closed in behind him and slung his arms around his head, pressing him to his chest and squeezing. “Your hair looks like a duck’s butt. He’s beauty, he’s grace, he’s mister United-“

 

Sasuke yanked his head out from Naruto’s grip, grabbing some of his hair and yanking so that he would shut up. “I’m going to end up strangling you by this evening.” 

 

“Nah, you won’t,” Naruto waved him off.

 

Sasuke waited for a car to enter their school’s parking lot before walking in, surprised at the amount of testers who had stayed after. He knew there were free refreshments and food being offered, but an hour had already passed. 

 

He spotted Neji and a few of his classmates through the windows of the school, chatting and joking. Sasuke’s brow furrowed as he remembered their earlier encounter and the thoughts it had triggered. Maybe when Naruto left tomorrow, he could hint to his father that his work was a subject of gossip. Maybe he could also reconsider his career choice.

 

But… it didn’t feel right. Before Sasuke had moved into this state, the Hyuugas had never been a problem—they were only a current problem. He’d debated countless times with his father as to why he _should_ be a lawyer and walk straight out of the Uchiha family expectations. Sasuke knew that Itachi wasn’t truly happy learning how deal with the financial and beneficial matters in businesses. He knew that Shisui was more overworked than not, his personal life taken over by the communications that came along with his job.

 

In another sense, Sasuke couldn’t simply surrender his years of arguing and hard work and _conform_. As a lone worker, he may not be as successful as the Hyuuga law groups, but that was a given. What he could do was go beyond the expectations set for him and quickly part himself from that family. 

  
Naruto tapped on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Gimme a sec,” he said, pointing to the side of the school. “‘M gonna go grab my stuff. I’ll be right back.”

 

“I’m going by the council garden,” Sasuke told him. 

 

“All right, all right!” Naruto turned away from him and walked in the direction of their sports fields, digging out a key from his pocket.

 

Sasuke headed to the corner of the parking lot, where a pathetic excuse of a student garden was growing. It was sectioned off by a few blocks of wood from the actual flower garden that the custodians had planted. The student council had started growing it illogically late, and now the petite stalks that had managed to grow were withered and stiff from the season. Sasuke squatted down and dug his finger into the soil. It was dry as powder.

 

He turned to the actual garden, eyeing the bright and healthy hydrangeas that had managed to stick through the winter. He rubbed a blue, silky petal between his fingers. Sasuke recalled Sakura griping about their horrible garden and asking if someone had purposely killed it.

 

He stood up and brushed off his hands, giving the garden a last glance. Sasuke turned in time to catch Naruto attempting to sneak up on him, giving him a disapproving glare. 

 

“No fun,” Naruto whined. He lifted his hand and showed it to Sasuke. “Look. I can barely move my fingers ‘cause it’s so cold.” 

 

“That’s nice,” Sasuke said. “You should buy mittens.” 

 

Naruto narrowed his eyes and let his hand fall back down to his side. “I’m gonna be the one who ends up strangling you by this evening.” 

 

Sasuke smirked and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It depends on how annoying you are.”

 

The other scratched at his nose. “I kinda feel like taking a nap. You wanna call a cab or try to hail one?”

 

He thought for a moment. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

 

“We’ll try,” Naruto grumbled, trudging towards the entrance of their school. “Did you have a lot of taxis in California?” 

 

“Around the busier parts of town,” he mumbled. “In downtown San Francisco, there were a lot. Other areas, there were none.”

 

“Hm,” Naruto thought aloud, leading them to a curb. “Everyone kinda knows that everything happens here,” he said. “Like, everyone wants to go to New York. Most of the time it’s for no reason besides all of the lights and stuff.” 

 

“Like you?”

 

“Ass. I already had this conversation with you.” 

 

“I’m surprised that you remember.” 

 

“Okay,” Naruto interrupted. “Once we get to your house, you’re takin’ a nap. Think of it as your time out ‘cause you’re being especially cranky.”

 

“Will you draw on my face while I sleep?” Sasuke taunted. “I’m not very tired.” 

 

Naruto opened his mouth to yell at him but shut it when a cab came into their view. He easily hailed it and, as he opened the back door, sent Sasuke an arrogant grin.

 

“I don’t want to hear it,” he said, sliding onto the heated seats. Sasuke called out his address to the driver.

 

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door behind him. “I can’t feel my ears.”

  
Sasuke reached over and tugged at one. “They’re red.” 

 

He batted Sasuke’s hand away and rubbed at his ear, glowering because Sasuke had accidentally pinched him. “’S what the cold does.”

 

Sasuke mentally agreed and leant back into his seat, glancing out the window as the streets passed by quickly due to the driver’s less-than-careful driving. As the blurred blobs of tourists met his eyes, Sasuke hoped that Naruto could help take his mind off of a few things that day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut it off there because you’ve had Enough. It was… almost hard to write about these two, after reading 700. That chapter just gave me this eery feel of cold distance between them. I didn’t want to touch this fic for a small amount of time. It’s very emotionally intimate, unlike canon. I also think I was on crack during the writing of this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I think we’ve got a couple of more chapters to go, since I don’t wanna go over I won’t pull a Kishi and rush the ending, but the chapter length will probably be a bit longer. Sorry if updates are delayed bc of that. Anyway, I can’t believe how much positive feedback I’ve gotten for this fic. Thank you so much.


	8. Cranium

Sasuke pulled his key out from his pocket, shoving Naruto’s prying hands away from him.

  
“Knock it off,” he growled. “I almost have it.” 

 

“Your hands are too cold to do it,” Naruto declared, taking the key from his hand. He jammed it into the lock of Sasuke’s front door, quickly turning it and sending the door flying open. 

 

Not even five minutes and Naruto was already giving him a migraine, Sasuke noted. At least he had the decency to let Sasuke lead him into his _own house_ first, toeing his shoes off by the front door. Sasuke hung his keys on the loop in the hall and his scarf on the coat rack next to it, hoping that Naruto would follow his example.

 

While Naruto shrugged out of his jacket, he glanced around the main hall. “Your house is nice.” 

 

“Thank you, dear,” Mikoto called from the foyer, startling him slightly. She gave them both a small smile as she approached them. “I’m glad you made it back this early. It’s supposed to start raining soon.”

 

Naruto enveloped her in a large hug, a wide grin on his face as he rocked her from side to side. “Hi!” 

 

“Naruto,” she greeted, laughing quietly and giving him a few strong rubs on his back. “I take it that you two already ate?” 

 

Naruto pulled back from her and crossed his arms behind his back. “How could you tell?”

 

“Both of you smell like tomato sauce,” she replied, tucking a piece of her hair behind her air. “Well. How was your test?”

 

“Easy!” Naruto chirped. “A lot more than I expected.”

 

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes, leaning against the corner of the wall. “It was barely challenging.” 

 

“Sasuke mentioned that you were stressed out over it,” she commented, casting a warning glance in his direction. Sasuke fixed his eyes on the floor and took his tongue in between his teeth.

 

“I’ll admit that I freaked out a little,” he shrugged. “But now… I feel like a free man.” 

 

Mikoto smiled again and stood on the tips of her toes to ruffle Naruto’s hair. “That’s good. Free men are allowed to have a snack, if you want to. Everything’s in the pantry.”

 

“Thanks,” said Naruto, giving her another bright smile. 

 

Mikoto leaned over and patted Sasuke on the cheek a couple of times. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my office. Just let me know.” 

 

“Okay,” he agreed, leaning into her touch slightly, but not enough to be noticed. “You’re leaving in a couple of hours, right?” 

 

“Around six,” she said. “I’ll let you know when I do.”

 

Mikoto gave them one last offer for hot beverages before retreating back into her office, leaving Sasuke with an overly excitable Naruto. After shushing him multiple times, Sasuke led him to his room, flicking the light on and sparing Naruto a glance to measure his reaction. 

 

He buried his face into his pillow and sighed deeply, relaxing into the softness of the extra blankets on his bed. Surprisingly, he could barely hear Naruto as he moved around his room.

 

A soft thud filled the room when Naruto set one of his sports trophies down. “You’ve got a lot of medals.” 

 

“I’ve been in a lot of relays,” Sasuke said, turning over and resting his arm on his forehead. From under it, he watched Naruto tilt his head and read over some of his certificates and awards. 

 

Naruto paused when he came to a particular music poster of his. “They just came a couple of weeks ago.”

 

Sasuke sniffed dryly. “I wasn’t here for it.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Naruto murmured, sending him an unreadable glance. “They didn’t go to California?”

 

“Just L.A,” he replied. “Too far.”

 

Naruto came over to his bed, sitting down on the edge of it. He looked down at Sasuke. Neither of them said anything.

 

Sasuke sighed again and lowered his arm from his face, reveling in the silence he was grateful for. He let Naruto lean back and use his stomach as a pillow. 

 

“You love it when I make jokes about myself,” he muttered. “And I love it when you finally shut up.”

 

Naruto stilled and then broke out into a grin. “Jinx.” 

 

He sighed through his nose and stared at his ceiling. “Shush.”

 

The other looked up at him, his lips curling mischievously. “You’re really pretty.”

 

Sasuke ignored the itching desire to strangle Naruto. Flicking his temple, he rolled slightly and made Naruto’s head fall onto the bed. “Shut _up.”_  
  
Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto sat up again and bounced on the bed slightly. “What do you want to do?” he muttered.

  
“I’ll play Warfare with you as long as you promise not to cheat.”

 

“Since when have I ever cheated?” Sasuke scowled, shoving at his shoulder to get him to stop bouncing. 

 

“Not around me,” replied Naruto. “But you’re sneaky like that.”

 

Sasuke sat up and pushed him off of the bed. Naruto rolled lazily to the ground, a triumphant grin on his face. “I’ve always won without cheating.” 

 

“Doubt it,” he taunted. “I can’t see you _not_ sabotaging someone else in a relay or somethin’.”

 

Sasuke growled and stood, placing his foot on Naruto’s chest. “I’m going to kill you one day.”

 

“What’ll do you without me?” Naruto asked. “You’ll have no best friend and a lifetime in jail on your hands.” 

 

He frowned and narrowed his eyes, grabbing a pillow from his bed. Sasuke knelt and pressed the pillow over Naruto’s face, smothering him. “Just for that.”

 

Naruto whined underneath the pillow, smacking at Sasuke’s arms. He struggled and wiggled for a few more moments before he finally shoved Sasuke away and sat up, breathing through his mouth. “You’ll also have nobody else to tell you when you’re being an ass.”

 

Sasuke sat on his knees and studied Naruto, appreciating the tone of his skin. Oddly enough, it almost seemed that Naruto had tanned, even though it was the middle of the winter. “I’m sure someone else would love to tell me when I am.” 

 

“No,” Naruto grumbled. “Only I can.”

 

Sasuke blinked. When had Naruto come that close to him? Albeit they were heavy, he could feel Naruto’s breaths on his cheeks. 

 

A few peaceful moments passed, and Sasuke had no other option but to look at what was right in front of him. “Do you know what personal space is?”

 

Naruto glanced quickly at his lips as they moved. “No. I thought you would have gotten used to it by now.”

 

Sasuke closed his eyes. He didn’t mind it at all when Naruto came too close to him or became too affectionate. No matter how much he protested it or shoved him away, everything that Naruto did was purely _Naruto._ There was no helping that, or any changing his adamant ways. 

 

“Can we kiss?” Naruto asked, surprising Sasuke with his diffidence. 

 

Sasuke leaned forward and pressed a small, chaste kiss on Naruto’s lips. He felt Naruto’s hand grip his shoulder. Their kiss didn’t heat up to anything more than slow—it wasn’t like the one born of desperation that had happened in the bathroom earlier. It was lazy and comforting, a reassurance that Naruto wanted to be with him in the same way that Sasuke did.

 

Naruto broke away after a series of pecks and leant against the foot of his bed next to him, a hand on his knee. Naruto squeezed and let go, raising that same hand to fiddle with a lock of his hair. “Screw that nap.”

 

Sasuke smirked. “Right. Are you ready to lose?”

 

Naruto scoffed. “I don’t _lose._ Let’s get this on.”

 

He considered Naruto for a moment before shrugging and shuffling over to his television, making sure that his PS3 was plugged in. “Do you know how to use this?”

  
“Yeah, I have one,” he said, crawling next to Sasuke and hugging his knee to his chest. “I just keep my Xbox in ‘cause it has a lot of free movies.”

 

Sasuke handed him a controller and made sure that the right game was in the slot, turning it on once he was assured that it was. He listened to the sharp intro sound before turning to Naruto. “I have a lot of movies.” 

 

Naruto messed around with his controller and watched as Sasuke sent up a new game for them. “Can you turn the volume down? I don’t really like all of the gun sounds.”

 

Sasuke raised his hand and popped a single knuckle in Naruto’s face, making him cringe. “Do they scare you?” he asked.

 

“It gets annoying after a while,” he replied, playing with the hem of his jeans. “Plus, I feel bad for playing these kinds of games sometimes.”

 

“War games?”

 

“Yeah. ‘Cause it’s like we’re making fun out of actual fighting…” Naruto rested his cheek on his kneecap. “I would hate to grow up around that. To be born into war.”

 

Sasuke couldn’t help but agree. He stayed silent for a few moments before beginning their match. “I’ll mute it.” 

 

Naruto’s stare burned his cheek even though he tried the best to ignore it. Irritated, he spared a glance to the other, who was giving him the affectionate smile that he seemed to earn a lot. “What?” he grumbled. 

 

“Nothin’,” Naruto said cheekily, turning his grin towards the TV screen. 

 

Sasuke furrowed his brow and paid more attention to their game.

* * *

He and Naruto were in the middle of their tie breaking match—a short mission to grab a suitcase from an opponent. Sasuke could see them right around the corner of the forest that the game centered around; just a few more steps, and Sasuke would be able to…

 

Naruto gasped as the entire screen went black and they were left in complete darkness, nothing but a diminishing light from his phone screen left to aid them. Sasuke’s fingers remained pressing on their rightful buttons on his controller.

 

Silence accompanied their lack of light, but if he listened closely, he could make out the sound of rain heavily hitting the roof. Sasuke pursed his lips and pulled his phone from his pocket, waking it so that he could see what was around him.

 

“No!” Naruto cried, dropping his controller on the ground and nearly rolling onto Sasuke. “I was so close to getting it!” 

 

Sasuke swallowed calmly and, after a second of contemplation, set his controller on the ground. “I think it was about time that we stopped.”

 

“Yeah, but not in the middle of a fuckin’ tiebreaker!” he whined. “Damn it. Now we’ll never know who won.”

 

Shutting his eyes, Sasuke rolled onto his back. “We’ll find out later. A tiebreaker to our tiebreaker.”

 

Naruto chuckled. “Yeah. I feel like things like this always happen to us.”

 

He shrugged. “We’ve finally stopped killing our brain cells. Maybe this was a message from a higher power.” 

 

Naruto settled on his left, comfortably close to him. They were pressed together from shoulder to elbow, hip to knee, and knee to foot. 

 

“Maybe I should get the candles out if it’s going to be like this for a while,” Sasuke murmured, though he wasn’t very willing to get up and leave the warmth that Naruto was providing. 

 

“Why do I have the feeling that you shouldn’t be trusted with fire?”

 

“…That’s mutual,” he said. “Stay here. I’ll go get some candles.”

 

Without waiting for him to protest, Sasuke stood up and trusted himself to be able to maneuver around his room. His hand hit his furniture a couple of times but, other than that, he managed to get to his door. 

 

Sasuke ran his hand across the wall once he stepped into the hallway, his sight adjusting. His eyes were already beginning to hurt from their couple of hours of video games, but it wasn’t hindering yet. 

 

Sasuke stepped into the kitchen to find his mother already there, using a flashlight to read a booklet.

 

“Sasuke,” she said, glancing up from the pages. “Are you and Naruto okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he replied, leaning against the counter. He glanced over her shoulder. “I’m just getting candles.” 

 

“Under the sink,” Mikoto mumbled, leaning away from the island so that she could open one of the drawers there. “Here’s a lighter.”

 

Sasuke grabbed it from her hand and pulled a couple of candles out from the cabinet, setting them on top of the counter. He unwrapped a new one and held the trigger of the lighter to both of their wicks, waiting until they caught the flame. 

 

“I hate to leave you two when the power’s out,” Mikoto sighed. “Your father’s not going to be home until eleven today. I’ll be gone for a couple of hours, but… be careful. Don’t answer the door, especially if it’s not our knock.” 

 

Sasuke took a second to remember the rhythm of his family’s code knock that they had made when he was younger. It was to keep Itachi and him safe, when they were home alone at younger ages.“Of course.”

 

“Let Naruto in on the knock,” she added. “He’s not scared of thunder, is he? Itachi’s earplugs are in the-“

 

“He’s not,” Sasuke assured, handing the lighter to her. The faint scent of vanilla reached his nose. “I’ll take care of everything.” 

 

Mikoto paused and then gave him a warm smile, leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Put one of those on the table in the hall. Your nightlight burnt out.” 

 

Sasuke pursed his lips. “I put it there because I stub my toes.”

 

She gave him a knowing smile. “All right. I would tell you that you and Naruto are free to order food, but it would be rude to make the delivery man come here in the rain. Be careful.” 

 

“We will,” he replied, watching her as she grabbed her keys from the island and pulled her purse on her arm. “Do you have an umbrella?” 

 

Mikoto ran her fingers through his bangs. “I do. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” 

 

Sasuke listened to her leave as she shut the door behind her and waited until the car engine could no longer be heard before he turned and grabbed a candle. He left one in the living room, figuring that he’d drag Naruto out of his room so that they could get away from his gaming system. 

 

He found Naruto sprawled out on his floor, eyes closed. Naruto opened an eye once he felt Sasuke’s presence in the room. “Everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he mumbled, setting the candle on the floor and grabbing his phone. He checked the time. “I think it’s going to be out for a while. It’s practically hailing.”

 

Naruto winced. “I feel bad for everyone’s cars.”

 

Sasuke leant back on his arms. “Enough video games.”

 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “You know, when I was little and the power went out, my parents always broke out the board games. Do you have any?”

 

“Yes,” said Sasuke. “The classics.” He pushed the candle towards Naruto. “Go ahead to the living room. I’ll get them.”

 

“Cool,” he drawled, getting up with a groan. The candle nearly blew out. Naruto scrunched his nose. “This smells like you.” 

 

Sasuke grabbed a couple of blankets off of his bed, handing those to Naruto, too. “No, it doesn’t.” 

 

“Kind of,” he mumbled, walking out of the door. “I’m gonna change first. Meet you in the living room.”

 

Sasuke ignored him and followed him, heading down the opposite end of the hall towards the storage closet. After sorting through it, he managed to pull out the games that he and Itachi had played when they were kids. Frankly, Itachi had completely destroyed him in any game that they’d played, but it never stopped his younger self from coming back for more. 

 

Picking out a few games, he remembered cleaning them up with Itachi. There was rarely a time in which they lost the pieces to those games. He knew there would probably be a few mixed pieces or old papers from their past games of charades or Pictionary, but it would be a welcomed memory.

 

He found Naruto setting the candle down by the fireplace, wringing his hand from where he’d accidentally touched the hot wax. The light flickered wildly and gave Naruto an almost evil expression. He’d changed into flannel pajama pants and a plain T-shirt.

 

“Battleship first?” Sasuke asked, setting them on the floor. Naruto gave him a small smile and lowered himself onto the carpet, tossing Sasuke a blanket. 

 

“This is so comfortable,” he noted, tying his blanket around his shoulders like a cape. Naruto flopped down onto his stomach and waited for Sasuke to hand him all of his pieces. “I haven’t done this in a long time.”

 

Sasuke glanced up from his side of the game. “Neither have I.” 

 

Naruto rested his hand on his cheek. “I can imagine a little you tryin’ to cheat.”

 

He snorted.“Even if I cheated, Itachi would still beat me.”

 

Naruto’s hand paused in pressing his ships onto his side of the board. “That good?”

 

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he figured that no harm could be done in telling Naruto. “Yeah.”

 

“My parents would let me win,” he shook his head. “It made me really angry. I remember yelling at my dad and shaking my little fists at him.” Naruto held his hand in front of his face, turning it back and forth. “I must’ve been six.” 

 

Sasuke placed his cheek in his hand. “A6?” 

 

Naruto smirked at him over the game. “Nope. Same thing for you.”

 

“I’m not dumb,” he replied, the corner of his lip curling. “I’m insulted that you’d think I’d use that method.”

 

“You’re sneaky,” Naruto said. “C2?” 

 

Sasuke frowned. “Hit.”

 

He snickered to himself and glanced down at his game. 

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “C2.”

 

“Hit,” Naruto mumbled, flushing.

 

“Dumbass,” Sasuke hissed. “Right after we talked about it?”

 

“Sometimes it works!” he cried. 

 

After a moment, Sasuke laughed at him. “Whatever. Get on with the game.”

 

A few minute later, Sasuke ended up beating him. He’d sunk all of Naruto’s ships, noting which slots that had been empty and the ones surrounding the slots which weren’t. Battleship was a game that was too simple for him now.

 

“Let’s play Monopoly,” Naruto proposed. “Even though you’ll probably piss me off, let’s play it.”

 

Sasuke paused in reaching for the box. “Are you sure? You know this deals with loans and leases.”

 

Naruto scowled. “I don’t need you draggin’ lawyer stuff into a board game. Let’s just play Life.” 

 

He smirked and grabbed that game instead, letting Naruto set it up for them. “I hate settin’ up these buildings,” Naruto grumbled, fiddling with a game piece on the board.

 

He grabbed a car and placed he and Naruto’s pieces at the starting point of the game. Sasuke made sure not to spill any of the smaller pieces on the ground.

 

Naruto reached over and flicked the spinner. “I wonder if any of the stuff on this board will actually happen to me.”

 

“You would probably hurt yourself dancing,” he murmured, watching Naruto move his car along the spaces. “Idiot.”

 

Naruto smiled widely at him, his eyes crinkling. “That doesn’t even sound mean, ‘Sas.” 

 

Sasuke felt the back of his neck heat up with the way Naruto looked at him. “Shut up.” 

 

He laughed, messing with his game pieces. “Just saying.”

 

Sasuke did his best not to shove a game piece down Naruto’s throat for the rest of their rounds, making sure that the other saw he was an honest player. As always, Naruto had some ridiculously interesting things to say, even if they were stupid as hell.

 

“How the fuck did I end up with six kids?” Naruto asked, squinting down at his car.

 

“You rolled over the kid square six too many times,” Sasuke grumbled.

 

Naruto pursed his lips. “You’re right. We better put a stop to this before I start a whole new city or somethin’.” 

 

Sasuke cleared their board and dumped their pieces back in the box. “Do you want to play something else now?”

 

“I kinda wanna play Uno,” Naruto pondered. “But I don’t remember how.” 

 

He jumped slightly as the lights flickered on, burning his eyes. Sasuke heard the heater and his TV turn back on, along with the beep of the house phone and security system. 

 

Naruto groaned and removed his hand from his eyes. “I wasn’t ready for that.”

 

“Neither was I,” Sasuke grumbled, standing up and flicking most of the lights off. He sat back down next to Naruto and crossed his legs.

 

“We only got to play a little,” Naruto said softly. He scooted a bit closer to Sasuke and laid his head on his thigh, bunching his blanket up around his chin. 

 

Sasuke sighed. “I know.” He cautiously placed a hand on top of Naruto’s head, watching the different shades it turned as the candle cast shadows on it. He ran his fingers through the thick blond hair, pulling at the ends slightly.

 

Naruto shut his eyes and sighed against his leg, relaxing into his touch. “I feel dumb for stressin’ out over that test.”

 

He leant back against the couch. “Hn. You’ve always done that.”

 

“I’ve only known you a couple of weeks, how can you know?” Naruto asked. “But you’re right. I have.”

 

“If you study hard, it pays off,” he murmured, letting his hair sift through his fingers. 

 

“You don’t get nervous ‘cause you’ve always done that, though,” he said. 

 

Sasuke shrugged. “It’s what I was taught.”

 

Naruto sat up, making his hand fall from the top of his head onto his shoulder. He leant heavily against Sasuke and threw an arm around the couch cushion behind them. 

 

Naruto kissed him. At first it was slow, but not tender. It grew into Sasuke’s tongue flicking across the seam of his lips and being met halfway, eager mouths pressing and pulling against each other.

 

Sasuke gasped into his mouth as Naruto ran a hand over a sensitive spot on his neck, keeping it there and rubbing his thumb into it. His mouth opened further and his kisses cooled considerably until Naruto took the advantage and controlled their kiss, pulling Sasuke down onto the floor.

 

Sasuke nipped at his lips and kissed his chin, trailing down to his neck. After a few moments of sucking there, he pressed his weight down into the thigh he had between Naruto’s.

 

He received a harsh suck on his tongue and a sharp bite to it, making him sigh. Sasuke kept up with their quick kisses and heated touches, slowly grinding his thigh into Naruto’s crotch. He could feel hardness growing against it with each passing moment until Naruto grabbed him by his hair and yanked his lips away from his neck, bringing his flushed face into view.

 

After sluggish and aroused eye contact, Naruto spoke. “Bed.”  
  
Sasuke pulled him up by the shirt and lead him through the hallway, pushing his door open only to have Naruto slam it shut behind them. He pressed Sasuke into his mattress, sinking his teeth into the junction where Sasuke’s shoulder met his neck, pulling a quiet groan from his throat.

 

As their lips collided in messy and rushed kisses, he snaked a hand between them and placed it on top of the bulge in Naruto’s pants. 

 

Naruto’s breath hitched slightly and he pulled away from their kiss, his fingers tugging lightly on Sasuke’s hair. “You’re…”

 

“Let me,” he murmured, dipping his index finger under the waistband of Naruto’s boxers. Sasuke pressed his thumb against the button, eyeing the light flush on his cheeks and the glint of excitement in Naruto’s eyes. An undeniable wave of desire washed over him -to give whatever he could and to take graciously.

 

Naruto’s eyes dove back down to his lips. After a moment of contemplative silence, is hand shifted from the back of his head to cup his cheek. “Okay.” 

 

Sasuke didn’t move immediately. He let Naruto gaze at his lips and, in turn, stared at the light swell of his bottom lip from where Sasuke had nipped on it harshly. 

 

He leant forward and kissed Naruto slowly, a considerable downgrade from their frantic ones before. Sasuke didn’t know if it would be too much to call it a kiss that held a mess of emotions, but what _he_ felt…

 

Naruto placed a hand on the back of his neck and ran his thumb over the small hairs he found there. Sasuke grunted as their tongues met again, warm and slippery and slightly rushed. He pulled on Naruto’s shoulders to get him to scoot to the edge of the bed, placing a foot on the floor while he still partially straddled Naruto. Sasuke quickly undid the button on his pants and pulled them down, the shifting sound making another fresh wave of want come over him. 

 

After a couple of more pecks, Sasuke dipped his fingers into Naruto’s boxers and let them rest there. Naruto flinched when his thumb came dangerously close to the base of his cock and gave Sasuke’s shoulder a squeeze. 

 

He pulled back slightly and shifted his hand, brushing across coarse curls. Sasuke nearly groaned when he felt the heat emanating from Naruto’s body and adjusted his position so that his own hardness wouldn’t become unbearable. 

 

After a tentative glance, Sasuke wrapped his hand around Naruto’s shaft and gave him a firm squeeze. He was nearly fully hard already, his girth heavy in Sasuke’s hand. He gave him a single, slow pump; Naruto released a shaky breath and helped Sasuke pull his pants and underwear around his knees. 

 

Sasuke gained confidence with his strokes, twisting his wrist when he got to the head and tightening his grip on Naruto’s cock as he went down. He got quiet grunts for his efforts and a sloppy nip on his earlobe.

 

Sasuke watched his hand and, at the first bead of pre-cum that leaked out of Naruto’s slip, sunk onto his knees between Naruto’s legs and pushed them apart. Naruto’s cock stood fully hard and thickened before his face, smelling heavily of musk and a deeper scent that sent Sasuke’s mind reeling. He didn’t dare glance up at the look on Naruto’s face; Sasuke was already hard enough in his own sweats, and he didn’t need a heated gaze to add to it. 

 

Sasuke held him by the shaft and took him in his mouth for the first time, careful to keep his teeth away from Naruto’s cock. The small gasp Naruto released incited him to get on with it. He was hot and thick in his mouth, almost _too_ much, in fact; Sasuke sighed through his nose and licked the underside of his cock. Naruto tasted bitter and salty in his mouth.

 

Sasuke pulled back and licked at the head of his cock, lapping up another bead of pre-cum that had leaked from it. He dug his tongue into the slit and stroked Naruto with a firm grip while he was at it, glancing at the flush forming on his tan stomach. Sasuke tried to get as much of Naruto as he could into his mouth, which included a ridiculous amount of drool; but Naruto didn’t seem to mind, tangling his fingers into Sasuke’s hair to hold it out of his face. Once it got too slick, he pulled off and mouthed at his sac, sucking gently on one ball at a time. He felt Naruto’s chest heaving with his pants.

  
Sasuke gave him a small suck, reveling in the quiet moan that Naruto released. He risked resting a palm over himself in his pants - Sasuke couldn’t help it. The small noises Naruto was making, the way his musky smell and salty taste invaded and dominated his senses… it left him unbelievably horny but unwilling to take care of his own needs, putting Naruto’s first.

 

Sasuke bobbed his head and sucked hard, taking Naruto in halfway and pumping where his mouth couldn’t reach his cock. He listened to the sounds Naruto made and the way his hips twitched when he sucked directly on the head or bobbed quickly. Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hip with a bruising force and held him down, ignoring the frustrated groan that was sent his way. He thought it was hot, and maybe that he would do this much more often, just for Naruto.

 

“Fuck…” Naruto breathed, pulling on his hair. _“Sasuke.”_

 

Sasuke glanced up at him, groaning quietly around Naruto’s cock. Naruto’s eyes were half-lidded and his lips parted, a deep flush on his cheeks as loud grunts spilled from his lips. Every now and then, Naruto would tilt his head back. Sasuke used what he’d noticed that Naruto liked - bobbing his head quickly, sucking harshly at his head, licking him all the way from that thick vein from the base of his cock to the tip…

 

“Close,” he hissed, thrusting shallowly into his mouth. Sasuke let him, pulling back when he thought Naruto might go to deep and meeting him when he wanted Naruto to let out a deep groan again. The steady stream of pre-cum Naruto was leaking made his lips obscenely slick, and whenever he pulled back from his cock, it sounded nothing less than lewd.

 

With a strangled groan of his name, Naruto came in his mouth, gasping and tugging roughly on his hair. Sasuke pulled back and swallowed as much of his cum as he could, not being able to help the few drops that slipped from his mouth. 

 

As Naruto panted above him, Sasuke gave him a few licks to clean him up and a couple of strokes for the sake of it before letting him slip out of his mouth. He lowered his head and laid loud, sloppy kisses on the inside of his thigh, giving it a few licks. Sasuke nipped wherever he wanted to and hoped it left a small mark, running his hands over the tan, muscular thighs. 

 

Naruto leant back on his elbows and Sasuke crawled above him on all fours, eyeing the satisfied expression on his face. Lazily, Naruto grabbed him by the hair and pulled him in for a round of open-mouthed kisses, which tasted bitter and salty. 

 

“Your turn,” he murmured, pushing at Sasuke’s hip. “Get under me.”

  
“No,” Sasuke said, rolling off of him and resting on one elbow. He almost laughed at the stupid look on his face. “I’m fine.” 

  
“You’re hard.” 

 

“Fine,” he corrected, pushing Naruto back onto the bed. “Just go to sleep. I’m going to change.” 

 

Naruto raised his eyebrows but conceded. “…If that’s what you really want.” 

  
Sasuke ignored him and stood, shutting off the light in his room. Only the hall light leaked in, casting an eerie shadow in the corner of his room. He listened to the sound of Naruto slowly tucking himself back into his underwear and kicking his pants off. 

 

Sasuke grabbed the pajamas he’d worn the night before and slipped out of the room, across the hall to his bathroom. He shut the door behind him without bothering to glance in the mirror, knowing that his cheeks were flushed and his hair was disheveled and his lips were swollen beyond recognition. 

 

He carefully stepped out of his pants without provoking his arousal too much and slipped into his much more comfortable sweatpants. Sasuke brushed his teeth quickly and paused when he spit, eyeing the white toothpaste as it went down the drain. 

 

He quickly washed it down.

 

Sasuke averted his eyes from the mirror and shut the light off behind him. He stepped back into his room and closed the door, glancing around the complete darkness.

 

He heard Naruto’s breathing before he could make out anything else. Sasuke followed the shallow sound and peeled back the covers, tucking himself under them and rolling onto his side not facing Naruto. 

 

“How can you see?” he asked, surprising Sasuke. He’d thought that Naruto was asleep. 

 

“I don’t need to see if it’s my own room,” he muttered. 

 

After a beat of silence, Naruto sniffed. “Snippy Sasuke, twenty four seven.” 

 

He chuckled and rolled over, breathing in Naruto’s calming scent. It was just his air freshener at home, but the smell of pine would probably be all over Sasuke’s sheets by tomorrow. “Glad you know that math.” 

 

“Asshole,” Naruto mumbled, nudging him slightly with his elbow. He shifted his hand so that their fingers were almost intertwined. “I don’t need to.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update. I got distracted writing that canonverse oneshot. It was a product of my post-Naruto agony. Another one may be on the way… but I must finish this! Anyway. Thank you all for supporting me so much, and until next time.


	9. Family

When Sasuke woke up, it was to a gentle shaking of his shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to clear his vision. Sasuke felt that hand leave his shoulder for a few seconds before it returned, shaking him harder this time.

 

He smacked it away and propped himself up on an elbow, using a hand to rub at his eyes. Sasuke squinted down at his arm, noting the still-warm, rumpled sheets next to him. 

 

“It’s about _time_ you woke up,” Naruto’s irritatingly smug voice greeted him, right in his ear.

 

Sasuke grunted and sat up, resting an arm on his knee and narrowing his eyes at the state of his room. It didn’t seem as if Naruto had messed anything up or gone through anything. No light seeped in through the gaps of his shutters.

 

“What time is it?” he asked.

 

Naruto threw his arm over the edge of his bed, tilting his head back to look at him. His blond hair was even more wild than it usually was—and with it standing funnily in his position, Sasuke nearly snickered. “Noon.”

  
“It’s too early.” 

 

Naruto scoffed. “You’ve had-“ he raised a hand to count on his fingers. “Thirteen hours to sleep! You can’t be tired.”

 

“I never said I was,” Sasuke grumbled, throwing the sheets off of his legs. He rolled down the leg of his sweatpants that had ridden up in his sleep. 

 

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but he was quickly sidetracked. He reached out for the calve that had been previously bared, grabbing Sasuke’s ankle and dragging it closer to him. 

  
“What are you doing?”

 

Naruto snapped the elastic of his pant leg and studied his ankle, running his thumb over the prominent bone. “Nothing. Just looking at how pale you are.”

 

Too groggy to smack his hand away again, Sasuke leant back against his headboard and let Naruto turn his foot over and over. 

 

As Sasuke rested, memories of the previous night filtered through his mind, ranging from small phrases Naruto had said to make him laugh to the expression of concentration on his face as they played games. He raised the hand Naruto wasn’t playing with to pull at his lips, which he vividly remembered had taken place in an especially sexual act. 

 

Sasuke dropped his hand back down by his side and figured that he’d have much more time in the future to think about that— _alone._

 

He spotted something on Naruto’s shirt and reached over, plucking it off. “You have cat hair.” 

 

“Meh,” Naruto stuck his tongue out, brushing at his shoulder. “He always rolls all over my stuff.”

 

Sasuke considered him for a few moments, tilting his head. Naruto looked like he had something else to say, something that was easily deductible from his fidgeting.

 

“What is it?”

 

‘’Why didn’t you let me do it back to you last night?” Naruto asked, still fiddling with his thumb. He looked slightly put out, maybe even disappointed. “I can’t just leave you like that. I want you to feel good too.” 

 

Sasuke said nothing for a few moments. He pursed his lips. “Consider that as me being nice.”

 

Naruto scowled and dropped his hand. “But you went to sleep with-“

 

“I’m fine now,” he mumbled, feeling the back of his neck heat up. “If I ever have a boner that lasts for more than a few hours, I’ll let you know.”

 

“Aren’t you supposed to call an ambulance when that happens?” Naruto frowned, pushing himself up off of the ground and rubbing his hands together. “Whatever you say, I guess. Now get outta bed and make me some food.” 

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the other, quickly standing and heading over to the window. Pulling down a shutter, he peeked outside to see that the weather was muggy and grey. “Hasn’t my mom dropped by?”

 

“She said she was going grocery shopping,” said Naruto. He came up behind Sasuke, looking out at the weather as well. “She also said that you knew how to cook.” 

 

Sasuke flicked the blinds shut and turned slightly, giving Naruto a disapproving sneer. “You’re the one with parents who own a restaurant. Shouldn’t you know how to cook?”

 

“I can make a mean cup of ramen,” Naruto said pleasantly. “But not without causin’ a fire or something.”

 

Sasuke sighed. “You’re never coming over again.”

 

“Nooo!” he whined, following Sasuke as he left the room and padded down the hall. The only lighting in the house was the lamp in the living room, which they had forgotten to turn off. “You don’t mean that.” 

 

“Maybe I do,” Sasuke drawled, turning the light on in the kitchen. He glanced around at the immediate foods available for Naruto, grabbing an apple off of the counter for himself. “What is it that you want?”

 

Naruto leant over the kitchen island and cast his eyes to the ceiling in thought. “Huh. Pizza?”

 

“We’re not having pizza for breakfast.”

 

“You were fine with it at my house…” he grumbled. “Fine. Oatmeal? It’s cold enough for it.”

 

Sasuke opened the pantry door and spotted a box of oats, taking it from its shelf and setting it on the counter. “You’re a lot more trouble than you’re worth, idiot.”

 

Naruto gave him a large, warm smile. “Now, that didn’t sound mean at _all_.”

 

He ignored Naruto, taking milk from the fridge and a pot from the cabinet above their heads. Naruto watched all of his movements from turning the oven on to pouring water into the pot, to separating some stuck oats in the bag with his fingers. Sasuke leant against the counter as he stirred the contents of the pot. 

 

He studied Naruto as the other glanced away. This was the first time he’d actually woken up next to someone—even though Naruto hadn’t been next to him, his spot was still warm, and it still smelled like him. It was nothing less than pleasing, and Sasuke certainly hadn’t been cold at all during the night. There was no hope in shaking off the wish for a morning like this to happen over and over again, without any outside disturbances from he and Naruto. 

 

It was… peaceful. Sasuke had too many memories of being harshly awoken and dragged to whatever learning center he’d been to in the past—daycare, grade school, and even now. But when it had been Naruto to wake him up, it had felt like it was just the two of them in existence.

 

Sasuke wondered when he’d gotten so soft. 

 

“Can you put some syrup in there?” Naruto asked, propping his chin on the island. He grinned at Sasuke’s irritated look. “Please.”

 

“After they’re done,” he murmured. Sasuke turned the oven off and motioned Naruto over, telling him to hold his bowl. He tilted the pot and let the steaming oatmeal slide into Naruto’s bowl, setting it back down once it was filled. 

 

“Smells good,” Naruto said. “Syrup in the fridge?”

  
“Yeah.” Sasuke set a cover over the pot to keep the rest of the oatmeal inside warm. “You’d better eat this all.”

 

“You know I am,” Naruto grunted, shutting the fridge door behind him. He sat himself down at the island, scooting his chair closer to Sasuke and making the scent of his oatmeal waft into his nose. 

 

“Disgusting,” Sasuke mumbled as Naruto poured an ungodly amount of syrup into his bowl, mixing it around with his spoon. 

 

“You only say that ‘cause you’re a health freak,” Naruto chided, taking his first bite of his breakfast. “An apple is hardly breakfast.”

 

“I was thinking about making scrambled eggs,” he said. “But you made me lose my appetite.” 

 

Naruto snorted haughtily and made a low sound in the back of his throat. “I think you cooked this, like, perfectly. This is the best oatmeal I’ve ever had.”

 

“You drowned it with syrup,” Sasuke pointed out. “How can you even taste it?”

 

He watched as Naruto polished off his bowl and headed back for seconds, leaving the empty pot the by the sink. He turned as he drank the oatmeal straight from the bowl, disregarding Sasuke’s glare. “Do you want me to make somethin’ for you?”

 

“Naruto, you said you couldn’t cook.” 

 

“Well, sometimes I exaggerate.” Naruto shrugged. “But really. Toast? Bacon? Egg in a circle?” 

 

Sasuke felt his stomach give an approving growl. “You know how to make egg in a circle?”

 

Naruto grinned and gave him a mock salute. “At your service.” 

 

Naruto ate spoonfuls of his own meal throughout the process of bustling throughout Sasuke’s kitchen, nearly dropping the entire carton of eggs while he was at it. From the stove, he taught Sasuke how to make an egg in a circle; to him, it was an odd feeling because Sasuke had always been the one teaching Naruto.

 

“Can I have the little circle for myself?” Naruto asked, showing him the cup-sized circle of toast. He set the cup he’d used in the sink, the rim coated in butter that had been on the toast.

 

“Sure.” 

 

“Okay, well, how is it in Japanese…” Naruto mused, flipping the pan over onto a plate. He brought it over to Sasuke and picked the small circle of toast off of it, sitting back down. “I feel bad that I forgot.” 

 

“Itadakimasu,” he replied. “Don’t you ever have traditional meals?”

 

“Every once in a while,” Naruto said quietly. “I guess I’ve been so busy that we haven’t had the chance.”

 

Sasuke carefully cut the toast in half, letting the yolk in the center leak out before he continued eating it. “My family does when we don’t eat the foods from other cultures.” 

 

Naruto gave him a small smile. “Really? Do you guys celebrate Christmas?”

 

“Does it look like we do?” Sasuke asked dryly. “We just exchange gifts.”

 

He ignored Sasuke’s grouchiness and rubbed him on the back. “So do we, but my mom thinks the people who do celebrate it will get angry if she doesn’t put a tree up. She actually just put it up yesterday.” 

 

Sasuke pushed the last few bits of his toast towards Naruto and offered him his fork. “What’s the point of a tree?”

 

“I dunno,” Naruto admitted. “But it’s fun to decorate it.” 

 

Sasuke frowned. He watched Naruto finish off the last of his food before standing and gathering their plates, stacking them on top of each other. “I wash, you dry.”

 

He ignored the groan behind him and headed over to the sink, grabbing a cloth to wash their dishes with. “There’s a towel you can use right there.” 

 

Sasuke used hot water to rinse their plates off first, making quick work to rub off any residue of food from them. He was always a meticulous cleaner, and he knew his family wouldn’t appreciate leftover food on their plates. Sasuke handed the first two plates to Naruto, who bumped their hips together.

 

“I think some of the roads froze,” Naruto started, rubbing vigorously at the bowl he’d eaten from. “Who knows when I’ll be able to go home.”  
  
“We own a tent and a sleeping bag if you need them.”

 

“Sasuke!” he yelped. “Now I’m really thinking that you can only be nice about… ten minutes of the day.”

 

The corner of Sasuke’s lip tilted up. “What on earth makes you think you lasted that long?”

 

Naruto flushed deeply and sputtered for a few seconds, nearly dropping his plate as he gaped at Sasuke. He obviously remembered Sasuke’s earlier comment, but far too late. 

 

“I’m gonna get you one of these days…” Naruto muttered, glaring at him from the corner of his eye. “Just you wait.”

 

“I think you’ve said that to me a couple of other times,” he said. “Not once have you ‘got’ me.” 

 

“That’s why I keep sayin’ ‘one of these days’,” Naruto added. “ _And_ ‘just you wait’. Don’t be impatient.”

 

“Whatever you say,” Sasuke said flatly, handing him the last fork. 

 

Naruto sent him a mischievous grin and finished drying their utensils off, opening one of the drawers in the island to put them away. 

 

Sasuke glanced at the clock above their heads. “What do you want to do for the rest of the day?”

 

He laughed to himself and tapped the tips of his fingers together, giving Sasuke a grin that made his eyes crinkle up. “Get out the Monopoly.” 

 

Sasuke glared at Naruto until he stopped making that face, sighing in resignation. “Fine.”

* * *

Once they had completed their finals and had been released for winter break, Naruto forced Sasuke to celebrate Christmas with him.

 

It was more of a coordinated plan against him—Kushina and Naruto had convinced his mother that it would be a great idea and, eager to celebrate with a larger family, Mikoto agreed. 

 

“Now you have no choice,” Naruto sang, his image shaking as he shook his phone slightly. “Even if you’re sick, we’ll just drag the whole thing over to your house.”

 

“I’m going to hang up.”

 

“What else will you do for the rest of the night?” he asked. “There’s nothing to do, anyway.”

 

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just shut up.”

 

“When’s Itachi coming? Tomorrow?

  
“No,” he grunted. “Day after.”

  
“ _That’s_ kinda late.” Naruto frowned. “Oh well. Tell him to bring all the presents he wants.”

 

“He’s not bringing anything for you. He barely even knows you.”

 

“That’s where you’re wrong!” Naruto laughed. “The last time I saw him, he got my number. Ever since then, we’ve been shit talking you.”

 

“Of course you have,” said Sasuke, settling back onto his pillow. When Naruto didn’t reply, he shut his eyes, sighing deeply and trying his best to relax. Talking to Naruto calmed him, but with the stress of the upcoming year on him, he wasn’t able to completely settle down. 

 

“Sasuke?” he asked softly.

 

He didn’t open his eyes. “What?”

 

“I’m really glad I met you.”

 

Sasuke held in a sigh and contemplated pretending to be asleep. After a few more moments of silence, though, he gave in and opened his eyes. It seemed as if Naruto had no qualms about admitting things like that—but when did he ever? Naruto was always so headstrong and adamant about everything that came into his life. 

 

Which brought him to think—why the hell did Naruto even _bother_ with him? They were polar opposites: Sasuke was an extremely quiet and private person, while Naruto enjoyed to bounce off the walls in his free time. Naruto actually made an effort to socialize, while he didn’t see the issue in remaining silent. 

 

Sometimes, Sasuke allowed himself to wonder before batting away the thoughts and moving on. Out of everyone that he could have, why did Naruto choose _him?_ Compared to him, Sasuke was completely outshined. Naruto was the type of person to do better, and he would eventually grow into a man that _would_ have better if he chose to move on from Sasuke. To him, Naruto had proved many times over that he deserved nothing less than the world. 

 

Swallowing roughly, Sasuke furrowed his brow. “Whatever, idiot.”

* * *

Sasuke was enveloped in another, bone-crushing hug that robbed him of all the air in his lungs. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t reciprocate; his arms were pinned to his sides, and his back was forced into being as straight as a rod.

 

Kushina pulled back and cupped his face, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Here, sweetie,” she said, barely giving him time to recover as she shoved a small box towards him. “Give this to your mom.” 

 

“Okay,” he said quickly, glancing at it as she bustled around the kitchen again. The nosier part of Sasuke got the best of him, and he tilted it slightly to try to weigh what was inside. 

 

Sasuke left the kitchen, stepping into the living room and heading towards the couch where Mikoto sat with her husband and Minato. 

 

“This is from Naruto’s mom,” he handed her the box, stepping back as she looked at it.

 

“How sweet!” Mikoto murmured, turning the box over in her palm. She stood, handing it to his dad. “Why don’t I go help her. We have a lot of mouths to feed.” 

 

Sasuke backed away and walked into the hall, plucking Kyuubi up from the back of the couch as he did so. The cat grumbled quietly in his arms, and his fluffy tail swished back and forth quickly. When he took too long to reach the door he was looking for, the cat whined loudly. 

 

“Shut up,” he told Kyuubi, adjusting him in his arms. He was too heavy, and he had began to squirm in his arms. 

 

“Here,” Sasuke grunted as he kicked the door open, throwing Kyuubi on the bed. Naruto yelped, barely catching him with his hands.

 

“Ow, ow, ow!” he hissed, pushing Kyuubi off to the side and pulling his shirt up to glance down at his stomach. “Sasuke, you _jerk!_ That hurt!” 

 

“He’s in a considerably worse mood than he was before you put that stupid collar on him.” 

 

“Well, I’m not gonna take it off,” Naruto said stubbornly, sitting up and rubbing at his belly. “He’s in the Christmas spirit.”

 

Sasuke glanced over at the fluffy red collar with a Santa hat hanging off of it, which reached to the middle of Kyuubi’s back. The cat curled up in the corner beside Naruto’s pillow, looking infuriated. “I hope he scratches your eyes out during your sleep.”

 

Naruto narrowed his eyes and stood up. “Then I wouldn’t be able to stare at you as long as I usually do.”

 

“You can’t stare at me,” Sasuke accused, raising a brow. “You give up after a few seconds.” 

 

Naruto god so close to him that their noses were only a few inches apart. He glared at Sasuke through his slitted eyes, pursing his lips. “Three, two, one.” 

 

Sasuke kept his eyes open, a proud smirk on his face. Naruto’s eyelids were already wavering, his face tilting down so that he could give Sasuke the dirtiest of his looks.

 

“You look ridiculous,” he chuckled. 

 

“You look like a jerk.” 

 

“This reminds me of the time you tried to slide down the stairwell and slipped.” 

 

Naruto blinked in surprise. “Hey! I actually thought that my balls were gonna shrivel up and fall off. You just kept laughing at me without even helping?” 

 

“How was I supposed to help?” Sasuke asked. “Kiss it better?”

 

Naruto flushed lightly and studied him for a second. “That would’ve been one way.”

 

Sasuke glanced away, towards the door. “You lose.” 

 

He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll let ya have this one,” Naruto sent him a wink. 

 

There was a couple of knocks at the door, and Minato stuck his head in. He gave them both a smile. “Food’s ready, you rascals.” 

 

Naruto wrapped an arm around his shoulder and dragged him out into the hallway, back into the dining room where most of their family was seated. 

 

They ended up sitting next to each other, with Naruto sitting at the head of the table and Sasuke sitting to his left. It was a bit pushed away from their parents, which Sasuke was sure that they had planned. 

 

He waited for the food to be finished passing around and watched as the mountain on Naruto’s plate grew taller and taller. “Slow down.” 

 

“I’m young,” he countered. “I can handle it.”

 

Sasuke poured himself some tomato soup and narrowed his eyes at Naruto. “It’ll be bad for your health in the future.”

 

“Not if I stay in shape!” Naruto held up his arm, flexing his arm muscles in a way that looked more concerning than impressing. 

 

A quick thanks was announced to their parents for providing and cooking the food. Sasuke laid a napkin over his lap and threw one onto Naruto’s, knowing that the other would be a bit more messy than usual. He was quiet for the first few bites of his meal, until a fluffy tail entered the room. 

  
“C’mere, kitty,” Naruto said under his breath, taking a fat piece of chicken off of his plate and waving it close to the ground. Kyuubi gave an appreciative meow and crawled under the table to weave around and rub himself against Sasuke’s legs, purring heartily while he was at it. 

 

“That stupid cat is going to die of a heart attack instead of old age,” Sasuke grumbled. He watched Naruto toss Kyuubi some more table food. 

 

“Nah, he’s alright,” Naruto shrugged, resting his cheek in his hand as he watched Kyuubi chew at his food happily. “Us Uzumakis live longer than the average person.” 

 

“You might be testing the limits.”

 

“Then let the limits be tested,” he quipped. “Now. Finish your food so we can go outside!”

 

Sasuke sent him another blistering glare, slowly setting his spoon back into his soup. After watching their parents converse around each other, he worked on his food so that they could get some fresh air.

—————————

When they were done, Naruto excused them from the table, giving Kyuubi one last piece of chicken. 

 

He excitedly tapped Sasuke’s shoulder as he shrugged his jacket on, jostling him a bit so that he would hurry up. 

 

Sasuke smacked his hand away and finished getting his other arm through the sleeve of his jacket, grunting at him so that he would stop. 

  
“Sasuke, hoo ha ha,” Naruto said deeply, ushering out the door. “Outside now. Hurry. Late.” 

 

“What the hell…” Sasuke mumbled, glancing down the driveway. “I hope that you’ve talked to your parents about being put on medication.” 

 

“I’m just impersonatin’ you,” said Naruto, giving him a small, innocent grin. “But. I dunno… I’ve kinda thought about it. Just for school, you know?”

 

Caught off guard, Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pocket and processed Naruto’s words. “I wasn’t being completely serious.” 

 

“Sometimes I’m outta control,” he said quietly. “And I _know_ that. But then you tell me to calm down instead of… mocking me, if that’s how I can put it.”

 

Sasuke turned from him to the houses in front of them, squinting his eyes as the brightness of the holiday lights adorning them lit the road. Naruto had strung a line of obnoxiously colorful and bright lights in the single tree of the front yard and an inflatable reindeer that rested right next to it.  

 

He stepped into the street, running his foot over the road to make sure there wasn’t any black ice. “It’s not absolutely horrible.”

  
Naruto wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed, pressing their cold cheeks together. “’S why I told you about it. I feel like you’re the one who’ll actually listen to me, even if you don’t care.”

 

Sasuke let Naruto squeeze him a couple of more times, figuring that it may be the last few bursts of physical affection for the night. “Dumbass.” 

 

Naruto laughed and pecked him loudly on the temple, pulling away before Sasuke could swat at him. He looked down to study the reflections of the lights on the slightly wet road, stopping in the middle of his steps to skid a bit. 

  
Sasuke stopped observing him to glance up at all of the blinking and flashing lights hung on the houses, trying to make out a few figures from them. There was the occasional Santa or pine tree on someone’s lawn. 

 

Naruto grabbed him by the arm to support himself as he skidded to a stop, but when he did so, it almost seemed like Sasuke saw everything happen in slow motion; he moved too quickly, threw his balance off, and took too big of a step. It was unfortunate that the little snow that had fallen earlier in the week had melted and run down the roads.

  
The next moment, Sasuke was on his back, and a dull ring formed in his ears. Naruto still had his hand in a tight grip around his bicep, only now they were back to back facing the sky.

 

Deeply sighing, Sasuke shut his eyes. “Fucking _idiot.”_

  
“Sorry,” Naruto muttered, pushing himself up onto his knees. Sasuke stood and brushed off the back of his jacket and pants. Naruto used him as a post to stand up, yanking heavily on his arm with a loud grunt as he got up. 

 

“All better now?” asked Naruto. “Watch out. It’s a little slippery.” 

 

“We should start walking back,” Sasuke suggested. “On the other side of the road.”

 

“Yeah!” Naruto barely spared the road a glance before tugging him to the opposite side of the street.

 

Watching Naruto’s back as he yanked him forward, in danger of slipping and falling flat on their faces, Sasuke felt his heart clench. Watching Naruto accomplish and learning what he’d accomplished in the past was nothing less than astounding. As the dim lighting washed across his face, Sasuke thought that Naruto could do _so_ much better than the person he’d tugged onto the street.  

 

Watching Naruto was like watching Itachi to him: quicker in most ways, and slower in the ways that really counted. It was comforting, and most of all, _familiar._

 

Sasuke let himself walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Naruto on the way back, looking up at the houses but also straight at Naruto every once in a while.

 

“When your dad said hi to me, I almost pissed myself,” Naruto confided. “He might be the scariest person I’ve met.”

 

Sasuke shrugged. “It’s the way he is. Get used to it.”

 

“Yeah… ‘cause I’m used to _you,”_ he commented. 

 

Once they reached Naruto’s driveway, they kicked around in the grass for a bit to look for any dirty chunks of snow. Naruto found a cat toy that Kyuubi had lost quite a while ago, and Sasuke found nothing but bugs and nut shells. 

 

“There’s not really anything to do,” he complained. “It’s too cold to go running. Everything’s closed. I actually kinda wanna go to school…”

  
Sasuke smirked. “There’s a lot of things to do outside of technology and socializing.” 

 

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. “Like what? Study?”

 

“Actually,” he said. “If you want to take the ACT-“

 

“Enough!” Naruto groaned, clutching his head. He stomped towards the front door and yanked it open, making the bells hanging off of the doorknob jingle loudly. “Time out.” 

 

Sasuke welcomed himself inside and toed off his shoes, placing them neatly next to each other while Naruto threw his in two different directions. 

 

“We’re _back!”_ Naruto announced, throwing his hands in the air as he walked into the living room. 

 

Sasuke paused when he saw that their parents stood in a group in the middle of the room. They all turned to him, almost looking like they’d been caught red handed.

 

“Quiet, son,” Minato said, reaching over to ruffle Naruto’s hair affectionately. “I can’t believe you’re still at it when it’s this late.”

 

Kushina punched her husband lightly in the chest. “Wear him out while we’re gone, alright, Sasuke?”

 

“They’ll both be out of it by eleven,” Mikoto put in. “Finals burned them out. You two need to _rest.”_

 

Naruto gave her a smile. “Where are you guys going?”  
  
“On a double date,” Kushina said proudly, waving her and Minato’s intertwined fingers in the air. “Away from you kids!” 

 

Mikoto laughed and set a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “We’ll be a couple of hours. Protect the house.”

 

“Sure,” he murmured, glancing over at his father. Fugaku actually seemed to be enjoying himself, even though he tried to hide it.

 

“Alright,” Minato clapped his hands. “Leftovers are in the fridge, you have our numbers, and the neighbors are nosy enough to let us know if you set anything on fire. Got it?”

 

“Got it!” Naruto grinned. “We’ll be good. Well… at least _I’ll_ be good. Sasuke always tries to set somethin’ on fire.” 

 

“I do not,” he protested, glancing over at his father. “Shut up,” he mumbled.  


Kushina laughed and clapped Naruto on the back, making him surge forward and nearly fall over. “We have to catch our reservations. See you later tonight!”

 

“Bye, mom, dad!” he waved at their backs, pushing them towards the door. “Have fun!”

 

The adults left the house, throwing “Be careful!” and “Watch the cat!” behind them. Naruto shut the door and fished around in his pocket to make sure that his key was still there. 

  
Sasuke wandered into the kitchen, tailed by his friend. He poured himself a glass of water and drank for a bit before Naruto got fidgety again. 

 

“Guess what I have.”

 

Sasuke set his cup down. “No.”

 

“Well, I have board games,” he said. “Let’s play ‘em.”

 


	10. Beginning

“Check _mate.”_

 

Sasuke clucked his tongue. “Dumbass, you can only make a checkmate in chess.” 

 

“This is almost the same thing,” Naruto said pleasantly, turning over one of his pieces in his hand. “Plus, I deserve to have a checkmate. I fought off all those spiders that fell out of the box.” 

 

“By screaming for me to get rid of them?” Sasuke grumbled, stacking his piece over Naruto’s once he cornered it.

 

“Hmph,” he stared at the board after he was left with only a couple of choices—both leading to him losing. “I thought you were gonna kill them all. But that was smart.” 

 

“It was common sense,” he replied, smirking as Naruto reluctantly moved his piece. “And, as usual, you were no help.” 

  
“I got the paper for you to slip under the box,” Naruto protested. “I just didn’t wanna accidentally kill one, you know?”

 

“I’m sure of it.” Sasuke placed his piece over Naruto’s and smirked. “Your turn.”

 

Naruto scowled and touched his checker piece as if it was covered in acid, groaning as Sasuke moved his piece over that one, too. “No more of these mind games,” he said, rolling over onto his back and throwing his arm on his stomach.

 

“Fine,” said Sasuke. “What now?”

 

Naruto tilted his head back to see him. “Will you let me think about it while you make me some hot chocolate?” 

 

“This is your own house,” he scoffed. 

 

“Yeah, but you make it taste better.”

 

Sasuke pulled his blanket tighter against his shoulders and pushed himself off of the floor. “That’ll be ten dollars.” 

 

“For your horrible bedside manners?” Naruto asked, grabbing Sasuke’s leg to hoist himself up. “I don’t think so. What about a complimentary kiss?”

 

He pushed Naruto’s face away and made his way toward the kitchen. Kyuubi trotted along by his ankles, weaving between his legs and almost making him trip. Annoyed, he picked the cat up by the scruff of his neck and carried him into the kitchen, where he placed him back on the floor. 

 

Naruto leant against the counter. “Kyuubi says thanks for the free ride.” 

 

“He looks like he wants to scratch your eyes out,” Sasuke noted. “Where’s the powder?”

 

“By the mugs in the biggest drawer,” he replied. “C’mon, Kyuu,” Naruto hoisted Kyuubi onto the counter, scratching him a few times on the small of his back.

  
Sasuke nearly smacked himself in the face. “People _eat_ there.”

  
“He’s an indoor cat,” Naruto cooed, leaning heavily against Sasuke. “It’s not like he’s super dirty, Besides, he gets up on the tables all the time.” 

 

Sasuke shook his head and sighed, taking a sauce pan from where they were hanging against the wall. Naruto brought him some milk and marshmallows, helping him spoon in the cocoa powder into the boiling milk.

 

“Will you put in the marshmallows while it’s still cooking?” Naruto asked quietly. “I like it when they’re burnt.”

 

Sasuke dropped a few in. “You’re too picky.” 

 

“No,” Naruto mumbled. “It tastes good.”

 

“It tastes disgusting.”

 

“You’re the one that doesn’t even like sweet stuff!” Naruto stirred the hot chocolate on his own.

 

“It doesn’t take that to realize how processed it tastes.” 

 

“You know what it tastes like?” Naruto gave him a suggestive look. “Chocolate.” He turned the oven off and poured the contents of the pan into his favorite orange mug. Naruto dropped some more marshmallows into it and turned back to him.

  
Sasuke watched him take his first sip and grin like an idiot. “You look like a little old man.”

 

“That’s what I’m gonna be soon,” said Naruto. “I’m gettin’ old.” 

 

He caught a whiff of the hot chocolate and scrunched his nose. “I must be Benjamin Button?” 

 

Naruto pursed his lips. “Not really. You look a lot older than me, anyway. Does your back hurt?” 

 

“Of course not,” he said, dodging Naruto’s searching hand. “Stop exaggerating.” 

 

“Mah,” Naruto whined, drinking some more of his hot cocoa. “I’ll stop talking ‘cause this is so good.”

 

Sasuke watched him fondly while he was distracted by his drink. “You have a tendency towards placebos.”   
  
“I do _not,”_ Naruto argued. “If you’d taste some of the stuff you make compared to what I make, then you’d understand. It’s not the same.” 

 

They entered the living room and Sasuke knelt down to clean up their board game, neatly tucking it away in its box. He leant against the back of the couch and stretched his legs out before him, letting out a small yawn. 

 

“I kinda feel like taking a nap,” Naruto said, carefully placing his mug on the floor. He used Sasuke’s thigh as a pillow and wrapped his arms around his leg, squeezing him lightly. 

 

Sasuke sat in silence for a few moments, just because he was tired. “Do you have no sense of personal space?” 

 

“I can’t help it,” Naruto drawled, his cheek smashed against Sasuke’s leg. “I’m a touchy person.” 

  
Sasuke sighed but set his hand on Naruto’s forehead, moving his thumb over his hairline.  
  
“‘Specially when I wanna give you a bunch of affection,” he continued. “Sasuke, Sasuke, _Sasuke-“_

 

“Enough,” he murmured, giving a chunk of Naruto’s hair a gentle tug. “Don’t I put up with this throughout the week? No wonder the girls have stopped trying to talk to me.”’

 

He felt Naruto shrugged. “Guess I accidentally claimed my territory.” 

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “You own no part of me.”

 

To break the sudden tension, Naruto grabbed his hand. “It’s just a saying. They probably found someone else to mess with.”

 

He grunted and relaxed back into the couch, frowning as Naruto took his hand and made Sasuke’s fingers scratch his scalp. He let his hand go and Sasuke took up the scratching by himself, smirking when Naruto let out a pleased hum. 

 

“Just like your cat,” he said. 

 

“Speak of the devil,” Naruto said, watching Kyuubi saunter his way over to them. The cat stretched before stepping on Naruto’s chest, curling up on his stomach. He purred away happily as Naruto scratched the underside of his chin, swishing his fluffy tail.

 

Sasuke gave him a good scratching behind the ears that had Kyuubi tilting his head into his touch, the volume of his purr raising and his paws kneading into Naruto’s shirt.

 

“You’re clawing my nipple,” Naruto groaned. “Stop it!” He shifted slightly and Kyuubi hopped off of him, perching himself on the arm of the couch.

 

Sasuke glanced down at Naruto and chuckled. “You have cat hair all over you.” 

 

“Always,” Naruto sat up and brushed some of it off. “You made him claw me extra hard.”

 

“What can I say? He loves the way I scratch him.” 

 

Naruto grunted and quieted down for a few seconds. He pressed his shoulder against Sasuke’s and turned towards him, knocking their heads together. Sasuke glanced at Naruto’s stunning eyes and, for once, let his gaze rest there, studying all of the varying blues they held. 

 

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but Sasuke took the opportunity to lean in and press a kiss against his lips. After a moment of surprise, Naruto responded, his fingers winding into the hair at the back of Sasuke’s head to keep him there. 

 

He moved his lips against Naruto’s, still grounded by the feeling of warm, soft lips against his own. Sasuke considered his mild fascination with Naruto’s lips—they were full and almost never chapped, even in this cold weather. He loved the way that, whenever they kissed, Naruto’s lips covered all of his own when he dominated the kiss. When Sasuke dominated the kiss, his top lip would always press into the seam of Naruto’s, ready to suck or nibble on it, just as he was doing now. 

 

Naruto sighed and deepened the kiss for them, holding Sasuke’s jaw in his hand. He almost scrunched his nose when he found that Naruto tasted like chocolate and marshmallows, but quickly got over it once that tongue pressed demandingly against his. Tugging at his hair, Sasuke followed his lead, flicking his tongue against whatever he could inside of Naruto’s mouth. 

 

Once he found that he couldn’t sufficiently breathe through his nose any longer, Sasuke broke away and fisted Naruto’s shirt in his hand, panting lightly. He felt like his skin was on fire. Naruto licked his lips and sighed against Sasuke’s, dipping his head to press his nose against Sasuke’s neck. He laid a light kiss at a spot that made Sasuke’s breath hitch with just that gentle touch. It turned into an open-mouthed one that dragged up and down the curve of his neck and to the hollow behind his ear. 

 

Naruto licked his earlobe and blew gently on it, taking it between his teeth and nibbling on it lightly. Sasuke let himself melt back into the couch, feeling his head spin as Naruto sucked at a tender spot on his neck.

  
He grabbed Naruto by the hair and tugged their faces closer together, their lips colliding again. It held a more hungry pace, turning needy and loud as more and more of their tongues became involved and their breaths became shorter. When either one of them couldn’t breathe, Sasuke would break away and let his neck be marked or work on marking Naruto’s.

 

_Mine,_ he thought, yanking roughly at Naruto’s hair as their teeth clanked. 

 

“‘M getting you back,” Naruto whispered, pulling away slightly. He pointedly ignored the bulge in Sasuke’s pants as he pressed his hand on his stomach, delivering another harsh nip to his chin. “C’mon.”

  
Sasuke stood without any protest, stopping to kiss Naruto wetly just a few times. It took a while for them to reach Naruto’s room, since for every few steps they made, Naruto was pressed against the wall and the licking flames of determination and arousal in Sasuke’s core heightened. He let Naruto’s thigh slip between his and grind lightly for a few moments, making him let out a shaky sigh. 

 

Sasuke cursed Naruto for being so attentive as he used the spots on Sasuke’s neck in the best and worst ways, making his jaw go slack and his fingers on Naruto’s skin dig in. 

 

Barely, they made it to Naruto’s room, kisses characteristically messy and hurried. He almost stumbled over a shirt on the ground but could care less as they fell onto the bed in a clumsy pile of limbs. Sasuke’s lips smacked loudly against his and it had grown painful to kiss because of all their tugging and nibbling, but he didn’t care. He pulled Naruto closer and gasped as their bodies pressed together tightly.

 

Their hips slowly rocking against each other, Naruto’s fingers dragged his shirt up. Sasuke interrupted their grinding to reluctantly break their kiss so he could help Naruto get it off, tossing it somewhere by the foot of the bed. He cupped the back of Naruto’s neck in his hand, forcing his tongue past the seam of his lips.

 

Naruto snaked a hand between them and lightly brushed over the hardness in Sasuke’s pants. He grew bolder with his movements and ran his hand down the outline of the bulge in his jeans, cupping it every once in a while. Sasuke couldn’t help but buck his hips into the grip, feeling his face scrunch up every time Naruto sped up his hand.

  
He didn’t protest when Naruto began to work at his belt, struggling to undo the buckle before yanking it out of its loops. He made quick work of his button and zipper and then Sasuke was relieved of some of that pressure, nearly slipping out of the slit in his boxers. Naruto’s lips had long grown sloppy and metallic-tasting against his own.

 

Sasuke shivered as Naruto barely skimmed his hand over his cock before reaching into his underwear and grabbing him by the base. With a firm grip that contrasted his tentative pace, Naruto stroked him from the base to his tip, wiping away the bead of pre-cum that had formed there. Sasuke worried his lower lip as he continued stroking, feeling his heavy breaths against his upper lip as he did so.

 

“Told you I’d get you back…” Naruto murmured, helping him shimmy out of his jeans a bit more. They fell around Sasuke’s knees. 

 

Sasuke struggled to keep his eyes from fluttering as Naruto’s pace sped up. “Shut up,” he said, pushing his hands under Naruto’s top so that he could rid him of his shirt. Sasuke ran his hands over the lean muscle and warm skin he found there, rubbing his palm over Naruto’s nipple until it hardened. The thought that they were moving a bit fast barely flew by in his mind; with Naruto, there was no right timing.

 

“You’re really sensitive,” Naruto commented, pausing in the middle of a stroke and just gripping him tightly. 

  
Sasuke grunted, tugging at the sheets slightly with a hand. He thought that Naruto was one to talk—while Sasuke had only ever done this to himself, Naruto didn’t have much experience, either. He felt Naruto’s eyes on him and remembered that he lay almost completely exposed to the other, with only his pants around his knees.

 

They started kissing again, and Naruto let his cock go. Sasuke didn’t mind too much, instead choosing to immerse himself into their kiss that seemed to burn him from the inside out.

  
Naruto’s hands drifted back down to his ass, massaging and squeezing it. He pulled his cheeks apart every once in a while, distracting Sasuke from the action by pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Sasuke started grinding their hips together again, making him lose his grip momentarily. He held in a groan as his bare cock dragged against the material of Naruto’s jeans and the hardness confined by them.  

 

He pulled back slightly as Naruto’s finger dipped into his crack, watching his expression carefully. Naruto’s pupils had dilated and his cheeks were covered by a healthy flush—he looked to be a bit distracted by his own ministrations, but Sasuke watched him as he did so. He pressed his lips together as Naruto ran his finger over his hole, unwavering but yet still cautious. Naruto did it again—twice, three times, four, until he was circling his finger around it and robbing Sasuke of his breath. 

 

Slowly, Naruto applied pressure on that finger until he barely sank inside, waiting for Sasuke to say something. Sasuke rested his face in the crook of his neck, breathing heavily and leaking pre-cum all over the front of Naruto’s jeans. When he didn’t move again, he glanced up, wondering why he’d stopped.

 

Naruto’s eyes widened quickly and he blushed. “Sorry,” he stuttered. “Are you—I mean, is this—“

 

“Yes,” Sasuke grumbled, pushing himself up on his elbows so that he hovered over Naruto’s face. He kissed him slowly, and it became thick with feelings that had been bothering him over the past few weeks, nearly flooding and spilling over.

 

Sasuke reached behind him and took Naruto’s wrist, pushing on it slightly so that Naruto’s finger sunk in about halfway. He paused, taking a good moment to get used to the feeling. Naruto twisted that finger a bit, making Sasuke hold in a gasp. 

 

Naruto pushed it in all the way, keeping it there for Sasuke to get used to. He caught his lips again, even though they weren’t coordinated enough to do so much at once. Naruto raised his other hand to push Sasuke’s hair out of his face, making the light sheen of sweat that had formed on his forehead cool.

 

With a quiet grunt as a warning, Naruto moved his finger inside of him, pulling out slightly and twisting it. Sasuke held his breath and kept his hips from rocking back into that finger as Naruto kept his movements up, picking up the pace after a while. 

 

“Sasuke,” he whispered, slipping his finger out only to push two in halfway. Naruto grabbed his cock and pumped it once again, bringing a small moan from his lips as he thrust his fingers in and out of him. 

 

Once Sasuke found that Naruto had actually _paid attention_ to what he responded to, it was near impossible to stay quiet; his breaths against Naruto’s neck were shallow and he could hear his pulse in his ears each time Naruto pushed his fingers in especially deep. He had found a spot inside of him that made him curse, and ever since, Naruto hadn’t left it alone.

 

Between strangled gasps and repressed groans, Sasuke struggled to undo Naruto’s button and fly, feeling his abdomen tense as he did so. Each time he moved, his cock dragged against Naruto’s bare stomach or his jeans. He could only manage to get them down around his knees, and with Naruto hitting that damn spot over and over again, he couldn’t concentrate. 

 

Sasuke fell relaxed on top of him, gripping a chunk of his hair with his hand. He pushed his hips back against those fingers, having long gotten over the initial reluctance he’d had towards it. It felt too damn _good_ not to _,_ and _damn_ it when this was over and he wouldn’t get Naruto back, even better.

 

“More,” he managed, giving Naruto’s shoulder a harsh suck. He groaned as Naruto gave a particularly long and hard stroke inside of him.

 

 

“Fuck,” Naruto breathed, rolling on top of him. He slipped his fingers out of him only to grab the back of Sasuke’s head, bringing their lips in for a kiss that opened his mouth wide. Sasuke nibbled lightly at his tongue, using his own to trace the back of his teeth.

 

Naruto barely broke away and pushed his hand against Sasuke’s lower stomach. His lips brushed against Sasuke’s as he spoke. “I have lotion,” he said, leaning over him to rummage around in his nightstand’s drawer.

 

Sasuke heard the dull click of a cap before Naruto came back into his view, a few red marks on the side of his neck. He let his lips pull into a dry smirk as he eyed them, watching as Naruto poured a generous amount of lotion onto his hand. 

 

Naruto glanced back up, his eyes narrowed. He leant back down for a short kiss before pushing two fingers back into Sasuke, this time with a much more slick entrance. 

  
Sasuke had liked the friction before—it was something new, and it was something that he was definitely not getting over. But _this—_ Naruto was able to move a lot faster and slightly deeper. His breath caught in his throat as Naruto’s chest pressed against his and his blue eyes darkened as he watched his fingers slipping in and out of him, digging his heels into the mattress.

 

Frantically kissing, Naruto slid in another finger, taking his sweet time to rotate his wrist and nearly make Sasuke arch off of the bed. He held in a considerably loud groan, instead letting himself sigh.

  
“C’mon,” Naruto mumbled, cupping his cheek with the hand he wasn’t using. “You sound so fucking good…” 

 

Naruto gave another strategic thrust of his fingers and Sasuke nearly fell into pieces under him, bucking his hips into them and gasping. He tightened his grip in Naruto’s hair and tugged on the handfuls he had, resting his head back on the pillow. “Now.”   
  
“Should I use four?” Naruto asked, looking a bit insecure for a moment. 

 

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

 

Naruto barked out a laugh. “Says the one who was about to blow his load just ‘cause of a couple fingers.” 

  
Sasuke bit his lip. “Shut up.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Naruto said, grabbing the bottle of lotion again. He poured some onto his hand and tossed it to the side again, giving himself a few strokes to slick his cock with it.

 

Naruto leant forward and gave him a soft kiss, gazing into his eyes after. “Tell me if it hurts.”

 

Sasuke nodded and placed his hands on the back of Naruto’s neck, pressing his thumbs into the hollows behind his ears. Naruto nudged one of his legs, so he folded it by Naruto’s side. 

 

Naruto held his cock as he aligned himself with Sasuke’s entrance, pushing lightly just to test the waters out. He slid in enough so that the head of his cock was almost completely inside, glancing at Sasuke for his input. When he grunted, he pushed another few inches of himself inside, his face scrunching up as Sasuke squeezed around him. 

 

“Shit,” Naruto said under his breath, tightening his grip on Sasuke’s hip. He leant onto his other elbow, pressing his face into Sasuke’s shoulder.

 

“Too much for you?” he asked, a bit breathlessly. It earned him a challenging glare. 

 

“‘Course not,” he replied, letting his hip go. Naruto put his hand on the other side of Sasuke’s head now, hovering over him. With a quiet groan, he pushed all the way in, their hips meeting.

  
Sasuke gripped his shoulder roughly, nearly overwhelmed by that feeling of fullness. He moved his legs experimentally, trying to find a comfortable place to rest them, choosing to hook them behind Naruto’s. He shut his eyes as Naruto laid a tender kiss on his neck, running a gentle thumb over his other shoulder.

 

Sasuke brushed a hand over himself, noticing that his cock had turned an angry red in from all their grinding and teasing. He was almost painfully full and hard against his stomach.

 

“You can move,” he murmured, rubbing his hand across Naruto’s forehead and wiping away some of the perspiration there.

 

Naruto peppered a few more kisses on his shoulder and propped himself up, brushing their lips together. He grabbed Sasuke’s hip and, after an intense few moments of eye contact, pulled out so that only the tip of his cock remained inside.

 

Naruto paused and then pushed all the way back inside, hips slapping against each other quietly. Sasuke grunted, leaking just because of how deep Naruto had managed to sink into him on the first try. He pulled out again and repeated the action, this time with much more certainty in himself and a glint in his eye. 

 

Naruto thrust his hips in short, hard thrusts that left Sasuke gasping and struggling to grip onto his hair. He pressed the back of his heels into Naruto’s thighs, urging him to do _more,_ anything at all. 

  
“Fuck,” Naruto breathed, hiking one of his legs up to his chest. “You feel so good…” He shifted his weight and thrust back in, the sound of his hips smacking against Sasuke’s much more prominent. His movements grew rushed as his shoulders tensed under Sasuke’s fingers.

  
Sasuke bit his lip as Naruto rocked in and out of him, blissfully deep and quick. He panted as quiet whimpers and moans were dragged out of him with each thrust, digging his fingers into the sheets and pulling them up. Naruto’s hot stomach dragged against his cock with each movement, becoming slick with his pre-cum, making his groan a bit louder than it was meant to be.

 

Naruto gripped his thigh harshly and kissed him, their tongues sliding against one another until a bit of saliva started to form at the corners of their mouths. It was everything that Sasuke would have originally protested against—it was loud, sloppy, inexperienced, and much more primal than he was used to. It was hard to drag air into his lungs when Naruto changed angle once and wouldn’t stop hitting that spot again, forcing moans and quiet murmurs of pleasure from him. 

 

“Naruto,” he breathed, curling his toes as his thrusts changed pace. “ _Fuck!”_ Sasuke’s vision turned blurry, but because of his eyes crossing or something else, he didn’t know. He didn’t _know,_ and that was what was so frustrating and pleasing about it, that Naruto didn’t even need much instruction and he was doing _everything_ right already.

 

He could feel Naruto’s lips mouthing over his neck and cheek, his hands grabbing his ass over and over and pushing his legs wider. Naruto’s breaths were loud in his ear, his groans and choked-off words barely coherent to him. The more Naruto tried to say something, the more that pooling of pleasure settled low into Sasuke’s hips, making his cock swell.

 

Sasuke grabbed himself and almost groaned in relief, stroking himself quickly in time with Naruto’s thrusts. He tilted his head back and let Naruto’s tongue travel over his throat, letting out a guttural and desperate moan. 

 

“Sasuke,” Naruto moaned, his back tensing under Sasuke’s hand. “God, m’really close-“ 

 

Sasuke forced his tongue into Naruto’s mouth, reaching behind him and grabbing a firm ass cheek. Naruto hummed into his mouth, making a few thrusts that sent him dangerously close, and because he was in fact _right there,_ Sasuke moved his own just to get him in as deep as possible. 

 

Naruto grunted loudly, his nails digging into Sasuke’s hips and leaving marks there. His hips made a few last erratic thrusts before he stilled, pumping them slightly. He came with a gasp and a shout of his name, pressing his face into Sasuke’s neck the entire time, keeping him in place.  
  
Sasuke followed right after, spilling onto his own stomach with a loud groan. He squirmed for a few seconds as the pleasure washed over his body, making him feel incredibly lightheaded. All Sasuke heard was his own blood rushing by in his ears and Naruto’s panting. 

 

After taking a moment to recover, Sasuke let go of his cock and considered the most powerful orgasm he’d had had nearly left it numb. He felt Naruto stir against him before he pulled back, looking sated and proud of himself. 

 

“You okay?” he breathed, brushing Sasuke’s hair out of his face. With a shaky sigh, he gently slid out of Sasuke. 

 

“Are you,” Sasuke returned, politely ignoring the cum that trickled from his ass. That would be something else to get Naruto back for. 

 

“‘Course,” Naruto said, studying his face closely. Then, he flushed, ducking his face back into Sasuke’s neck again. 

 

Sasuke let a breath of air from his lungs, despite his racing heart. “What?”

 

“Nothing,” he said quietly. “I’m just gonna get emotional. That’s all.”

 

Sasuke snorted dryly after a second. “What’s different?” 

 

Naruto wrapped his arms around his waist and squeezed lightly, sighing into his neck. “Nothing. You’re still the most important person to me.” 

 

Sasuke felt something inside of him cave in—the very last defense against Naruto, he knew. Had there even been a point in setting them up? Eager to get that feeling of vulnerability away (but there was no fleeing from Naruto), he said the first thing that popped into his mind: “Not Kyuubi?”

 

Naruto laughed. “Not Kyuubi. You.”

 

Maybe he knew that there was no point in fighting it, because it would just reach him anyway. Naruto’s feelings weren’t seasonal—they weren’t temporary in any form. Sasuke knew that once Naruto truly and deeply cared for something, he did just so with all of his effort.

 

Naruto was a _pure_ person, just as he was. He had no idea how he’d found someone who could be his match and his opposite at the same time. He had no idea how he’d found someone so damn annoying and endearing at the same time. 

 

Sasuke had a slight idea on how lucky he’d been to even meet Naruto. Blessed, even, because the other drew everyone and everything in like a moth to a flame. 

 

“Sasuke?” he asked, drawing him from the muddle of his thoughts. Sasuke became aware of the drying swear and semen on his stomach, and the not-so-appealing scent of he and Naruto combined together after exerting themselves. 

 

“…You smell,” he murmured, casting his eyes down to a blemish he’d left on Naruto’s shoulder.

 

Naruto rubbed his arm, stopping to squeeze his shoulder. “I disagree.” 

 

“Well,” Sasuke squeezed his shoulder back. “It’s true.” 

 

“Then I guess it’s time for a shower,” he grumbled, rolling off of Sasuke and sprawling next to him. “Care to join me, master?”

  
Sasuke sneered and shoved Naruto’s face away, sick of that obnoxious grin that had been thrown at him all day long. “I’m the guest. I get those opportunities first.” 

 

“Take pity on a beggar?” 

 

“Do you even know what that is?” Sasuke sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, slicking his damp bangs out of his face. “Join if you want, but you only get a fourth of the spray.” 

 

Naruto sighed. “You’re lucky I woulda given it to you anyway, you freakin’ jerk.” 

  
Sasuke chuckled and pushed himself off of the bed, watching intently as Naruto sat up and followed him. They stood in the center of the room, face to face, only a couple of inches between their nude bodies. 

 

He said nothing, instead wiping away some of the drying sweat on Naruto’s neck. Naruto ran his fingers through the hair by his ears, tugging on it gently and rubbing his fingers into his scalp. He used both of his hands to push it completely out of his face. “I like your widow’s peak.”

 

Sasuke almost shivered as the cool air reached the warmer parts of his face. He didn’t find a purpose in backing away from the touch—Naruto had seen _him_ for the being that he was already. He guessed that he could keep the other around for a while, if he wasn’t too annoying…

 

He turned and left the room, leaving Naruto behind.

 

“Sasuke?” he called. “You’re not really hogging the water, right? Right?” 

* * *

Sasuke shut the car door behind him and immediately reached for his seatbelt, ignoring the other presence in the car. 

  
“A hello would be nice,” said Shisui, deftly raising a brow at him. “For not having seen your favorite cousin in a long, long time.” 

  
Sasuke gripped the middle console and the safety handle above his head, nonchalantly dipping his head. “Hello.” 

 

“What about your brother?” Another voice interrupted. Itachi leant forward, regarding Sasuke through his wide, protective sunglasses.

 

He turned around in his seat and narrowed his eyes at Shisui, eyeing his strangely curly hair. “How long have you been there?”

 

“About an hour,” he answered. “There was traffic.” 

 

Sasuke clucked his tongue and turned around again, resting his hand on his cheek. “Just pick up the idiot and we can all go.” 

 

Shisui made an exit on the highway, leaving his blinkers on for the next turn. Itachi pressed his back against his seat. “That reminds me. You’ve never done something like this before. Why now?”

 

“What’s-his-name has an influence on you?” Shisui asked, the corner of his lip tilting up. “I can’t wait to meet the man who’s worthy of little Sasuke.” 

 

Itachi snorted and flicked his temple, shaking his head in amusement. “They’re glued together by the hip.”

 

He ignored his brother, glancing out the window. The snow that had fallen had unfortunately turned ugly and brown again, but some small footprints were visible in the batches of it that were otherwise undisturbed. 

 

“That doesn’t sound very good,” Shisui put in. “Are you sure he’s not making Sasuke do his homework?”

  
“He’s perfectly capable of doing it himself,” Sasuke grumbled. 

 

“I’m not entirely sure,” said Itachi.

 

Shisui gave a small, pained expression. “So we celebrate the New Year with the Americans _and_ discover that he’s dumb all in the same night? _Sasuke-“_

 

“He’s not _stupid,”_ Sasuke grumbled. “Sometimes,” he muttered under his breath, making sure that either of his family members wouldn’t hear it.

 

His cousin gave pause and then smiled at him. “See. I haven’t met him, but I already like this kid. He’s gotta be something special to hold your opinion like that.” 

 

“Just be quiet.” 

 

“Ah,” he sighed. “He gets stingier and stingier over the years. How refreshing.” 

 

After a few more minutes of driving, Shisui pulled into Naruto’s neighborhood, craning his neck to see all of the houses. “Which one is it?”

 

“The one at the end,” Sasuke replied. He waited until Shisui drove a bit further until he held out his hand. “Stop.”

 

“I see this being his house,” Shisui said thoughtfully, glancing at the garland strung around the yard and the bright welcoming signs. “Very… exciting.” 

 

“What does it look like?” Itachi asked.

 

Sasuke’s eye twitch and he turned around in his seat again, glaring at the hands Itachi had placidly rested on his lap. “Why did you even come when you just got your eyes dilated?” 

 

“You need supervision.” 

  
“I’m seventeen.”  


 

“Unfortunately…” Shisui said mournfully. “He’s right, Itachi. He grew up too fast. We’re gonna have to let him run around by himself pretty soon.”

 

His brother grunted. “Naruto is a good boy, but you two get into a lot of trouble together.”

 

“Balderdash!” Shisui chuckled. “You keep him in check, right, Sasuke?” 

  
“Why do you need to-“

 

“Is he running at us?” Itachi asked, glancing out the window. “Or is that the cat?” 

 

Shisui glanced away from the two of them and tilted his head. “Look at him go.”

  
Sasuke sunk down further in his seat, shutting his eyes and pressing his head back into his seat. He heard the door handle jiggle a few times before it was thrown open and a gust of cold air came inside the car. 

  
“Perfect timing,” Itachi noted. 

 

He turned as Naruto stuck his head inside, yelling into Sasuke’s ear. “Hey, guys!” Naruto wrapped an arm around his neck in a pathetic excuse for a hug and tackled Itachi into the back seat, groaning as he squeezed the life out of his brother.

 

“What energy,” Shisui snickered, bringing Naruto away from excitement. 

 

Naruto flushed lightly and smoothed down the front of his shirt, offering Shisui a sheepish grin. “Hi?”

 

His cousin laughed quietly and held his hand out. “Nice to finally meet you, Naruto.” 

 

He grabbed the hand and shook it strongly, using his other to scratch the back of his neck. “Yeah! Sorry for… bein’ loud, y’know. Sasuke always gets mad at me for-“

  
“Shut up,” Sasuke interrupted. 

 

“See?” Naruto jabbed a thumb at him. “He’s mean to me on a daily basis.” 

 

Shisui rolled his eyes. “He’s being him.” He started the car up again and turned along the curb, heading back out of the neighborhood.   
  
“Sasuke being Sasuke,” Naruto sang to himself, falling back into his seat. He turned to Itachi. “Why do you have those things on?” 

  
Shisui chuckled quietly and gave Sasuke an unreadable look. “I see why you like your little friend so much.”

 

Sasuke frowned. “He’s not my friend.”

 

“What is he? Chopped liver?” he asked, glancing away from Sasuke to place his eyes on the road again. “I swear that you have trouble calling your own mother ‘mom’.” 

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Shisui and ignored him, turning back to the window. He drowned out Naruto’s chatter and watched the buildings as they passed by, growing taller and taller, and the streets winding, becoming more filled with citizens as the night grew on.

  
Even as they got to the restaurant on the twentieth floor of a building, Sasuke kept to himself and did his best to keep Itachi from walking face-first into a wall. The fireworks downtown had started about an hour ago—they showed no signs of stopping soon, even though the new year was in a couple of hours. As Shisui and Naruto held most of the chatter at their table by the window, and as he fixed the napkin on his lap to protect himself from the next tall glass of water Naruto was bound to spill, he struggled to keep his thoughts in check. 

 

So much, almost too much, had happened in almost a couple of months. Sasuke thought about what his life would currently be like if he had stayed in California… without Naruto. Without being closer to his extended family, and without a city that he felt truly involved in. He’d made some nicer memories, and more questionable ones bordering on the lines of pure stupidity. It was a lot for him to take in and absorb, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Not without Naruto. 

 

“Hey,” he murmured, elbowing him in the side. Turning away from Shisui and Itachi’s conversation, Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. 

  
“What?”

 

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever asked this before, but…” Naruto gave him a small smile. “About when you become one of those really famous lawyers. I was thinking that you’d get me outta hell if I ever got framed or something, ‘cause you’d be so good.”

 

Sasuke thought about that for a moment. “It would be nice to have some peace and quiet-“

 

“I’m being serious!” Naruto made a frustrated gesture with his hands. “Like, if someone accused me of murder, you’d get me away from that ‘cause you know me.”

 

Sasuke heard a curse word slip from Itachi’s mouth and glanced over there curiously, raising a brow. It was rare that his brother cussed…

 

Naruto turned a bit pale. “Sasuke? You’d get me out, right?” 

 

“I don’t think you would give me any other choice,” Sasuke replied. “Plus, I may or may not go into the specialty that you’re talking about. There’s a lot, Naruto.” 

 

He frowned. “Oh no. Would you visit me in jail?”

 

Sasuke sighed and pinched his thigh, making Naruto jump a couple of inches into the air. “Idiot. Just keep yourself out of that kind of trouble.”

 

“I can’t make any promises,” Naruto grinned. “But I’ll try to stay on everyone’s good side. Even yours… but I’m already on it.”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think you’re on my good side?”

 

“A lot of reasons that would take too long for me to list,” he said cheekily. “I think the top one is ‘cause I’m your best friend.” 

 

“You’re not my-“

 

“Boyfriend-“

 

“Shut _up-“_

 

Naruto groaned in frustration and leant back into his chair. “Then what the hell do you think of us?”

  
Sasuke sipped his water calmly and shrugged, leaning back into his chair just like Naruto was. “Nothing much.”

 

Naruto squinted at him and then grinned. “Well. Whatever you say, I have a pretty good idea of what’s really going through your mind.”

 

Sasuke gave him an irritated glare and turned to glance out of the window, watching as a shower of blue sparkles fell over the skyline. He’d ignore Naruto as much as he wanted to, but it wouldn’t make a difference because he had nestled himself a little area in Sasuke’s day-to-day life.

 

There wasn’t a name to them that could even begin to describe the roiling pull between them. 

Best friends, lovers, soulmates, partners—there was nothing to label or contain the sincerity of the bond they shared. Sasuke and his relationship with Naruto’s was everything yet none of anything that he could think of. But, each time he tested those names, he always came out with one conclusion:

 

They were more than all of that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, thank you for supporting me along this wild journey. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did, and hopefully this is the last we'll see of teen!Sasuke and Naruto. Let's see, what do I want you guys to know... I listened to a lot of Beyoncé writing this. Watched a lot of Marvel and The Walking Dead. Thought about running away from this fic, but onto more important things. Now that they're canonly older, I want to finally jump into that. A couple of other fics may be in the planning with both of them in their 20s or so. That jail talk was a foreshadowing to one that may be written... but it would be evil. I also want my try at a canon fic to attempt to undo the last disaster of a chapter. If you'd like to contact me, I'm on tumblr and twitter, and links are in my bio. Anyway... thank you for your reviews and kudos, and make sure to send me some love if you liked this fic, too. See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to make this fic a little sweet and short one, about 10 chapters or so. I introduce to you the very bratty and demisexual Sasuke and a really pushy Naruto that just goes with it. This goes along with the first week's prompt of SasuNaruSasu month on tumblr, first impressions. Next week's chapter will go along with meeting the family, of which an excerpt will be posted on tumblr. Kudos are great, comments are great, everything's great. Thanks for reading!


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